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In some African countries, the skin and body parts of albinos are considered to have magical powers. As a result, many albinos are killed and have their body parts cooked up to make magical potions by alleged witch doctors. Albino body parts are meant to be useful in spells designed to bring wealth and power, and there is even a lucrative international trade. The limb of an albino person sells for $2,000–$4,000, while a complete set of organs can net up to $100,000.

Many people in the region believe that albinos are not real humans but rather ghosts or phantoms. Over 100 albinos were violently attacked in Tanzania from 2006–2012, with 71 ultimately being killed. Some political campaigners are even believed to visit fortune tellers who use albino body parts to divine the outcomes of elections, causing attacks to rise in 2015 in anticipation of the October presidential and general election.

In January of that year, after the well-publicized kidnapping of a four-year-old albino girl, the Tanzanian government announced a ban on witchcraft in the country and formed a task force to address the killings, including Ministry of Home Affairs officials and members of the Tanzania Albino Society. Their mission is to travel to regions most affected by the killings in order to liaise with law enforcement, investigate factors behind the atrocities, and review judicial rulings that may have been too lenient.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian police have had to deal with the fallout of witch hunts that occur when albino people go missing, after which vigilantes accuse innocent elderly women of involvement and sometimes hack them to death. Many of the women targeted had red eyes, which is considered a sign of being a witch in Tanzania. Many of those targeted have been women inheriting land, who are accused of witchcraft by male relatives who wish to take their property. -- http://listverse.com/

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