HRCC Demands President Mutharika to dissolve his Task force against Attacks on Persons with Albinism

The Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) has maintained its demand to President Peter Mutharika to dissolve his Task force against Attacks on Persons with Albinism in the country.

This follows the gruesome murder of 54 year-old man with albinism, Yasin Phiri inside his house in Nkhata Bay on New Year’s Eve.

On Sunday Mutharika instructed the taskforce on Sunday to re-strategize on the fight against abductions and killing of persons with albinism.

The move was despite an earlier demand by HRCC for the dissolution of the task force, saying it has been ineffective in halting gruesome killing of persons with albinism.

Reacting to the statement HRCC chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba said he was not impressed with Mutharika’s order.

Mkwezalamba said that this is not the time for the review the strategies but rather the task force should be dissolved and replace it with new members.

“It shouldn’t take the whole president at a public event to advise the task force to review its strategies. By now the committee should have sat down and reviewed the strategies that it is implementing,” he said.

Mkwezalamba said that the task force has failed to produce reports relating to why the vice is happening in the country.

“We feel the committee has not helped us. It’s almost two years, we haven’t heard or received any report on what it has been able to do,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from Chairperson for the Task force, Hetherwick Ntaba on the issue.

However, Ntaba told VOA that the government’s efforts have paid off saying in the year 2018 only two cases of attacks of people with albinism occurred.

Recently, the president for the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) president Overstone Kondowe expressed concern over lack of funds for the implementation of the National Action Plan on Persons with Albinism in the country.

Source : Yoneco