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150 attacks, 20 deaths, Malawi sinks $4m in four-year plan to protect albinos

The Malawi government has launched a four-year National Action Plan on Persons With Albinism aimed at ending atrocities against persons with albinism, and improving their social welfare

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The Malawi government has launched a four-year National Action Plan on Persons With Albinism aimed at ending atrocities against persons with albinism, and improving their social welfare.

For the past four years, the Southern African country has experienced barbaric attacks, including killing of persons with albinism, a development which has attracted intervention of international bodies such as the United Nations.
During the launch of the Action Plan which took place in the northern border district of Karonga on Saturday, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Jean Kalilani, said the plan focuses on all aspects of life including education, health, protection and human rights.

She said the National Action Plan on Persons With Albinism has been developed to guide the efforts to address challenges persons with albinism are facing.

“Time has come now for us to show the world the peaceful Malawi that we are where all people regardless of skin color and abilities coexist; where all people with all types of disabilities, and specifically those with albinism are respected and have equal opportunities in life,” she said.

She also said by inaugurating the Action Plan, the country was fulfilling objectives of the Constitution, particularly Section 13, which requires for development and adoption of specific policies and laws to actively promote the welfare and development of the people.

The Plan will be implemented through civic education and awareness raising, administration of justice and support of victims of attack, and safety and security of persons with albinism among others.

The implementation of the Plan for the next four years is estimated to cost 4.2 million US dollars, according to the minister.

UN Women Country Resident Representative, Clara Anyangwe, has since commended the government for the Action Plan saying it will complement UN’s existing support on raising awareness, strengthening community-based protection systems, providing direct support to persons with albinism and strengthening the justice sector response.

“The purpose of the Action Plan will only succeed when there shall no longer be any attacks on persons with albinism and when all perpetrators face the long arm of the law,” said Anyangwe, adding: “when people with albinism no longer live in fear, and when they hold decision making positions — only then shall we say we have won the battle”.

Since 2014, Malawi has recorded 150 cases of attacks against persons with albinism and at least 20 people, including women and children, have been brutally killed for their body parts on speculations that they are ideal for wealth creation.

Only 45 of these cases have been successfully prosecuted with results of conviction or acquittal while the rest are either still under investigation or in court.

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Moroccan court jails journalist 18 months over remarks about politician

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A Moroccan court on Monday sentenced a journalist, Hamid Mahdaoui, to 18 months in prison after he was found guilty of accusing a prominent politician of fraud, a verdict that has sparked international condemnation from press freedom advocates.

Mahdaoui’s case has garnered international criticism because he is being prosecuted under Morocco’s penal code rather than the press code governing journalistic conduct.

His attorney Mohamed Hedach, told journalists after the judgement that Mahdaoui who is the editor in chief of Badil.info, will serve a 1.5-year sentence and be fined an equivalent of $150,000 after being found guilty of defamation.

Mahdaoui was prosecuted after a complaint from Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi following a video posted on his website accusing Ouahbi of corruption and fraud, both of which the justice minister denied.

The accusations, according to media reports, came after the royalist Party of Authenticity and Modernity, which Ouahbi headed, became enmeshed in controversy last year when an imprisoned Malian drug dealer implicated party members in a sprawling drug trafficking case that shook the North African kingdom.

Reporters Without Borders’ North Africa representative Khaled Drareni had in October, called the prosection of the journalist a “misuse of the justice system to intimidate and silence the press.”

Mahdaoui was imprisoned in 2017 after publicly throwing his support behind activists who led protests over social and economic inequities. He was also sentenced to three years for not reporting to authorities that a Dutch Moroccan man had told him arms were being sent to the protesters. He later said he didn’t report it because he didn’t take the information seriously.

Morocco has in recent years been criticized for imprisoning journalists and activists known for criticizing the government. King Mohammed VI pardoned and released the country’s three most prominent imprisoned journalists — Omar Radi, Taoufik Bouachrine and Soulaimane Raissouni — in July.

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Culture

South Africa finally unveils improved King Shaka statue at Durban airport

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After years of complaints by the public, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has finally unveiled an improved version of

a long-awaited statue honouring legendary Zulu warrior, King Shaka.

Ramaphosa, who unveiled the new statue of the warrior alongside Zulu King, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban, said the statue “marks the beginning of a renewed focus on cultural tourism, empowering local communities and attracting visitors to experience the depth of South Africa’s traditions, values, and stories.”

The 12-metre-tall figure of King Shaka depicts the man credited with uniting the Zulu nation as a warrior with a spear and shield and replaces a previous artwork that was criticised for making the monarch look like a “herd boy”.

Speaking at the ceremony, KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Thami Ntuli, said:

“This statue of King Shaka stands as a testament to our shared commitment to cultural heritage tourism, which aligns with the government’s grand vision for preserving and celebrating our shared history.”

He went on to say the statue was a symbol of respect and gratitude to King Shaka, a leader who shaped history through innovation and strategic acumen, carving out a legacy that inspires not only the Zulu nation but the province of KZN.

“It is our shared heritage, and today, we stand together to celebrate it,” Ntuli added.

Ramaphosa described the statue as a symbol of unity, integrity, and leadership for all South Africans, expressing hopes that the figure would inspire tourists to learn more about the country’s heritage and history.

Shaka, who was in 1828, is credited with creating a formidable fighting force that dominated the Zulu region.

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