How common is albinism and what gene causes it?

International Albinism Awareness Day aims to promote a better understanding of albinism and combat discrimination against people with albinism.

EXPLAINER
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By Mohammed Haddad

Published On 13 Jun 2023

Albinism is a rare genetic condition that results in a lack of pigmentation (melanin) that normally gives colour to hair, skin and eyes.

People with albinism commonly experience sensitivity to bright light, which can lead to blindness and skin cancer. Additionally, in some countries, people with albinism suffer discrimination, violence and even death.

To promote a better understanding of albinism and combat discrimination against people with albinism, the United Nations designated June 13 as International Albinism Awareness Day.


What causes albinism?

Albinism is caused by mutations in specific genes that are responsible for melanin production. This gene is recessive, meaning that both parents must carry the gene for it to be passed on. Albinism is not a disease, but is a genetic condition that people are born with.

There are several different types of albinism and the degree of pigmentation varies depending on the specific type one has.

Individuals with albinism face a high risk of skin cancer which is responsible for at least 80 percent of deaths, according to the UN. This risk is so significant that 98 percent of people with albinism do not live beyond the age of 40.

While there is no cure for the absence of melanin that is central to albinism, the condition can be managed by avoiding direct sunlight, wearing high-quality sunglasses that can block ultraviolet rays and wearing sun-protective clothing and hats when outdoors.


How common is albinism?

While albinism is generally uncommon, some forms of the condition are extremely rare.


Albinism occurs worldwide regardless of ethnicity or gender. While reliable data are not available for many parts of the world, it is estimated that in North America and Europe one in every 17,000 to 20,000 people have some form of albinism.

Albinism is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa with estimates of one in 5,000 to one in 15,000.

What is the preferred term?

The term “albino” has historically been used in a derogatory way, so “person with albinism” is preferred when referring to those with the condition. “Albino” defines a person by his or her appearance, while “person with albinism” puts the person before the condition.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

On the trail of the trade in human body parts

What is albinism and what causes it?    

Malawi: People with albinism ‘living in fear’  

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Living – and dying – with albinism in Malawi       

Malawi: Killing of a girl with albinism shows community urgently needs better protection

LAWILINK/Amnesty International
NEWS December 2, 2022

The killing of a three-year-old girl shows the urgent need to better protect people with albinism following a series of attacks over recent weeks.

The horrific nature of the death of Tadala Chirwa is deeply shocking, and a cause of great concern

Vongai Chikwanda, Senior Campaigner for Amnesty International in Southern Africa

Amnesty International calls on the authorities to improve the protection of persons with albinism across the country after the killing of this week of Tadala Chirwa. Before midnight on 30 November, an unidentified man broke into her grandmother’s house where she was sleeping and killed her, before chopping off her left arm and taking it away.

“The horrific nature of the death of Tadala Chirwa is deeply shocking, and a cause of great concern,” said Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty International’s Campaigner for Southern Africa.

“This killing and the removal of a limb is consistent with past patterns on attacks on persons with albinism, which are driven by the false belief that their body parts bring wealth and good luck.”

“Authorities must promptly and thoroughly investigate the killing of Tadala Chirwa and ensure that those suspected of responsibility are brought to justice in fair trials.”

The authorities must also take urgent steps to guarantee the safety and security of persons with albinism in Malawi

Vongai Chikwanda

“The authorities must also take urgent steps to guarantee the safety and security of persons with albinism in Malawi, including by investigating all past attacks and delivering justice for victims and their families.”

Background

The attack took place in Mawawa village, near the town of Kasungu, in central Malawi before midnight on 30 November. Tadala Chirwa was reportedly sleeping in the same bed with her grandmother when an unidentified man broke into the house, stabbed the child in the neck, chopped off her arm, and fled. The attack follows the attempted abduction of a two-year old boy with albinism in Phalombe district, in the south of the country, on 19 November.

The toddler was asleep with his mother and a sibling when three masked assailants tried to force their way into their home. The mother managed to get her family to safety. In October the body of a person with albinism who had died was illegally exhumed from a grave and their legs and arms were removed.

Albinism is a rare inherited condition. People with albinism have a reduced amount of melanin, or no melanin, affecting their skin colouring and eyesight.

MALAWI

KILLINGS AND DISAPPEARANCES

Malawi Southern Africa: Persons with albinism especially vulnerable in the face of COVID-19

Malawi: Resurgence of killings and abductions of persons with albinism spells a dangerous escalation

Malawi: People with albinism in urgent need of protection after horrific killing

SEE LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for ALBINISM 

Scientist identify candidate genes associated with albinism in Wels catfish

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ESTONIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL

 

IMAGE: 

ALBINO WELS CATFISH (PHOTO: ANTI VASEMÄGI)

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CREDIT: ANTI VASEMÄGI, RIHO GROSS

An international research team from Estonian University of Life Sciences and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has discovered a set of candidate genes causing albinism in one of the largest freshwater fish, Wels catfish (Silurus glanis).

Lack of pigmentation, a condition known as albinism, is a rare event which occurs occasionally across different taxa. It is usually caused by specific changes in the genome. Yet identifying exact molecular culprits for different species is not a simple task. This is because the melanin pigment synthesis and metabolism pathways, which are responsible for most types of pigmentation in animals, are relatively complex. As a result, mutations in many different genes can cause albinism. "Essentially, albinism is a phenomenon where, as a result of a mutation, a gene no longer functions normally or is completely shut down," said Vasemägi, the leading scientist of the study. "The mechanisms of albinism can therefore be compared to an airplane that cannot take off due to unknown malfunction. Complex systems, such as metabolic pathways or airplanes, can become non-functional in many different ways from leaks in the fuel tank to the absence of a pilot. Therefore, the number of potential genes responsible for this loss-of-function trait causing albinism is relatively large, especially when we consider a broader evolutionary context beyond primates," he added.

"During the study, we analysed the expression patterns and splicing variation of more than ten thousand genes in four different tissues, and discovered a plenty of differences between albino and normally pigmented catfish," explained Vasemägi. "We identified several genes across multiple tissues as the most promising candidates, such as hps4, hsp90b1, raph1, uqcrfs1 genes, potentially causally linked to the albino phenotype in Wels catfish. Interestingly, these genes also cause albinism and pigmentation disorders in humans, channel catfish and mice. On the other hand, very few alternatively spliced genes showed consistent association with pigmentation, which indicates that the observed alternative splicing cases are most likely not causally linked with albinism in Wels catfish,” he added.

"During the differential gene expression analysis, we also observed significant differences between albino and pigmented catfish related to general energy metabolism and the immune system, supporting previous physiological studies," added Professor Riho Gross, head of the Chair of Aquaculture at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, who participated in the study. Prof. Gross has been leading an innovation project funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the aim of which was to develop and optimize the technology of artificial propagation and breeding of Wels catfish in Estonia and to identify populations with the best fish farming characteristics and genetic indicators.

This work provides the first transcriptome-wide multi-tissue insights into the albinism of Wels catfish and serves as a valuable resource for further understanding the genetic mechanisms of pigmentation in fish.
The results described in this article are published in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The project was funded by Estonian Research Council and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

M.Y. Ozerov, K. Noreikiene, S. Kahar, M. Flajšhans, R. Gross, A. Vasemägi (2024) Differential expression and alternative splicing analyses of multiple tissues reveal albinism-associated genes in the Wels catfish (Silurus glanis). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 110941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2024.110941

  

Normally pigmented Wels catfish (photo: Anti Vasemägi)

Albino Wels catfish in fish hatchery (photo: Riho Gross)

JOURNAL

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cbpb.2024.110941 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Differential expression and alternative splicing analyses of multiple tissues reveal albinism-associated genes in the Wels catfish (Silurus glanis)

 

Texas A&M researchers develop comprehensive genetic map for bison, discover gene responsible for albinism

Discovery marks the first time anyone has determined the gene mutation responsible for an observable trait in bison

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

 

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WHITE CLOUD, A FEMALE ALBINO BISON, LIVED WITH THE NATIONAL BUFFALO MUSEUM HERD IN JAMESTOWN, NORTH DAKOTA, UNTIL HER DEATH IN 2016 AT THE AGE OF 20. RESEARCHERS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES RECENTLY THE DISCOVERED THE GENE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALBINISM IN BISON.

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CREDIT: PHOTO COURTESY OF SEARLE SWEDLUND AND THE NATIONAL BUFFALO MUSEUM

By Courtney Price, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

A research team led by scientists from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has developed the most comprehensive genome yet for the North American bison, bringing the animal’s genetic roadmap up to date with the latest genome sequencing technology. In doing so, the research team also discovered the gene responsible for albinism in bison.

The study — recently published  in G3: Genes, Genomes, and Genetics — details the development of this high-resolution reference genome, which the researchers then used to produce the first test for genetic mutations, starting with the mutation responsible for albinism.

Albinism, a rare condition characterized by a lack of pigment in an animal’s body, making them look white with red eyes, has historical significance in that albino bison have been recognized as a religious symbol for some Native American Indigenous tribes. 

The study also lays the framework for determining other genetic variations that impact important bison traits, such as those that contribute to the health and production value of this species.

New Genome, New Possibilities

Dr. James Derr, a VMBS professor of veterinary pathobiology and genetics who led the research team that created the first bison genome back in 2015, assembled the team that developed this new reference genome. This team includes assistant professor of genetics Dr. Brian Davis, graduate student Sam Stroupe, and representatives from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the National Park Service.

“Because reference genomes can help researchers identify and characterize genes that are responsible for a large number of traits, this technology is used to do all kinds of things, including diagnosing health conditions and developing targeted treatments,” Davis said.

The newest bison reference genome was developed using technology that allows researchers to create genomes based on DNA from hybrids, which are animals with DNA from two different species. In this case, the researchers used DNA from a type of bison-cow hybrid called an F1, or individuals with a perfect 50-50 split between its parents’ DNA.

In general, F1 hybrids between bison and cattle are rare but have historically happened, since we now know that most bison herds in North America contain descendants of hybrids between bison and cattle — a discovery that Derr and his research partners made last year.

“One day we got a call from Texas Parks and Wildlife saying they knew someone who had an F1 hybrid,” Derr said. “It was the first fully documented, first-generation F1 hybrid I have seen in 25 years of working with bison. That’s why we were able to do this.”

To create the new bison genome, the researchers first sequenced the genome of the F1 hybrid as well as the bison mom and the domestic cattle father. With this information, they were able to separate bison DNA from the cattle DNA regions in the hybrid. 

Since the cattle genome is already very advanced, it provided a reference for creating the new bison genome, helping to guide researchers in developing the complete high-resolution reference bison genome.

To prove the utility of the new genome, the team set out to discover which gene mutation was responsible for albinism in bison and to create a genetic test that could be used to identify carriers of that mutation. 

The discovery is the first time anyone has successfully determined the gene mutation responsible for an observable trait in bison.

“We knew albinism was an inherited recessive trait, but we didn’t know which gene was responsible,” Stroupe said. “So, we sequenced the DNA from a few albino bison and compared them to those of normal coloration to find the mutation that causes albinism. As it turns out, the mutation causes an important enzyme to cease functioning correctly, which leads to the lack of skin pigmentation.”

The Uniqueness Of Albino Bison

Many North American Indigenous peoples regard white bison as sacred entities with prophetic spiritual associations. While not all white bison have albinism, the birth of one is cause for celebration in some communities.

Despite this cultural significance, Derr isn’t suggesting that people try to produce albino bison using genetic testing. 

“Sadly, albino bison are often not very healthy,” Derr said. “They tend to develop skin cancers, and they can develop other health problems as they age.”

Albino bison are also different from white or tan bison that result from crossing bison with white cattle, particularly Charolais. These bison lack the red eyes and pink nose of true albinos.

Now that a more accurate bison genome exists, scientists can learn more about the genetic makeup of North America’s bison population.

“The development of this new reference genome and the identification of a causative genetic mutation is exciting news for bison,” Derr said. “It opens the doors for new discoveries and insights into bison genetics. 

“Overall, this is a vital step toward the future conservation management of the United States’ national mammal,” he said. 

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JOURNAL

G3 Genes Genomes Genetics

DOI

10.1093/g3journal/jkad156 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Chromosome-level reference genome for North American bison (Bison bison) and variant database aids in identifying albino mutation

 

Zebrafish reveal wider role for gene linked to human albinism

Washington State University

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Student Taylor Krilanovich, left, poses for a photo with Cynthia Cooper, right, an Associate Professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU’s Vancouver, Wash., campus in front of tanks containing fish used for research on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022 (photo by College of Veterinary Medicine/Ted S. Warren).

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Credit: College of Veterinary Medicine/Ted S. Warren

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Tiny, striped zebrafish are helping scientists trace how a gene linked to albinism influences eye development, work that may ultimately help explain some of the vision problems experienced by people with the condition and guide the search for new treatments.

In a study published in Developmental Biology, Washington State University researchers found that mutations in OCA2, a gene responsible for one of the most common forms of albinism, caused unexpected changes in pigment cells, eye formation and the activity of dozens of other genes in zebrafish embryos.

The findings suggest OCA2 may play a wider role in development beyond helping produce melanin, the pigment that gives color to the skin, hair and eyes. If similar processes occur in humans, the research could eventually help explain complications associated with albinism, including impaired vision and involuntary eye movement.

“We’re interested in understanding processes that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to depend on melanin, but it turns out they do,” said corresponding author Cynthia Cooper, a professor in WSU’s School of Molecular Biosciences at WSU Vancouver. “It’s another surprising mechanism that cells are using to develop correctly.”

Small fish, big scientific role

Scientists have used zebrafish to investigate genetics and development for more than five decades, studying everything from heart development to neurological disorders and cancer. Cooper has worked with the fish for more than 20 years.

Like people, zebrafish are vertebrates and use many of the same genes to produce pigment cells. Their transparent embryos also develop quickly outside the body, allowing scientists to observe biological changes that would be difficult to study in humans.

For the new study, Cooper and her colleagues examined embryos carrying a mutation in the zebrafish version of the OCA2 gene. They tracked how pigment cells and the eyes developed, then compared gene activity in embryos carrying the mutation with embryos that did not carry it.

The researchers found unexpected differences in the number and location of iridophores, reflective pigment cells found in fish and amphibians. People do not have iridophores, but the cells arise from neural crest cells, which also give rise to several types of human cells. That makes them a useful window into how a mutation in a pigment-related gene can affect cell development.

The team also found changes in the developing eyes. A temporary opening in the embryonic eye took longer than usual to close, while cells in the retina developed and organized differently.

When researchers compared gene activity in embryos with and without the mutation, they identified changes in dozens of genes, including many that help cells determine what they will become and guide the formation of the eyes and other tissues.

Together, the results suggest OCA2 may influence development in ways that go beyond its established role in producing melanin.

The findings cannot yet be assumed to apply directly to people. Cooper said researchers will need to determine where, when and why the altered gene activity occurs, then look for similar effects in mammals and, eventually, human cells.

Albinism affects an estimated one in 17,000 people worldwide, although prevalence varies widely among populations. Visual problems are a defining feature of the condition and can create lifelong challenges with everyday activities such as reading and driving.

By revealing more about how the condition affects development, the research could eventually help researchers identify possible treatment targets for vision complications associated with albinism. Cooper said a clearer understanding of normal cell development could also inform research into diseases such as cancer, in which cells fail to develop or behave normally.

The research also provided hands-on experience for WSU Vancouver students. Co-authors J. Rionach McCarthy and Samuel Vernon were undergraduates when they conducted their experiments, continuing a tradition in Cooper’s lab that has helped prepare about 60 students for careers in medicine, pharmacy and research.

“We’re just trying to figure out what it is about this gene that is causing changes to the activation of genes in neighboring cells,” Cooper said. “That’s what we’re up to next.”

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Journal

Developmental Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.ydbio.2026.07.011

Article Title

Transcriptomic analyses link changes in gene expression to defects in pigment cell differentiation and eye morphogenesis in a zebrafish model for Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 2

AI used to make ‘fetishised’ images of disabled women

ByAFP
March 26, 2026


Charities and disability advocates have been warning about a trend for using AI to generate fetishised images of women with disabilities - Copyright AFP Antonin UTZ

Anna Malpas

British charities and disability advocates have slammed a trend for using AI to generate “fetishised” images of women with disabilities and genetic conditions including Down syndrome, vitiligo and albinism.

The photo-realistic sexualised images, which have gained millions of views on social media, are deceptive as they are often not labelled as AI-generated.

Some account owners use artificial intelligence to manipulate real images of non-disabled women, making them appear to have Down syndrome, a genetic condition caused by an extra chromosome.

One such TikTok video of a young woman dancing in shorts and a cropped top has had 4 million views since last year.

The British Down’s Syndrome Association condemned the “alarming trend”.

“This is a scam and is not only in bad taste but is potentially offensive and hurtful to people who have Down’s syndrome,” the charity said in comments sent to AFP.

Disabled women and girls already face a higher risk of sexual violence globally.

In Britain, women with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to be sexually assaulted, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The images show “very fetishised bodies” and “very sexual content”, said Aisha Sobey, a University of Cambridge researcher studying generative AI.

Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK, said the images are “exploitation” and recall “historical freak shows of people being wheeled out for the amusement of others”.

These AI influencers “are mostly young white women,” said Emanuel Maiberg of the 404 Media tech news outlet who has covered the trend.

“It certainly seems like content that is more outrageous, novel, or weird, gets more engagement.”

Higgsfield, a platform for generating virtual models, gives creators options to add scars, burns, albinism — a lack of melanin pigmentation — and vitiligo, which causes white patches on the skin.

“The internet doesn’t want a perfect face. It wants character. So give them scars, give them style,” says a promotional video for Higgsfield, adding “AI influencers with vitiligo have been really popular lately”.



– ‘Harmful and unacceptable’ –



The AI images are often medically unlikely or impossible.

One creator labelled as based in Germany shows an AI model with albinism in a strappy vest top driving a car without glasses — despite the fact that many with the condition have poor eyesight.

An Instagram account with millions of views shows a woman in swimsuits and gymwear whose body is bisected by vitiligo so she is exactly half white and half brown.

“This form of AI use is harmful and unacceptable,” the Vitiligo Society told AFP.

“When AI creates fictional individuals with vitiligo and portrays them as authentic members of the community, this crosses into the territory of misinformation,” said the British charity.

Real influencers with albinism told AFP that most AI-generated content fetishises the condition and is inaccurate.

US influencer Kayla Ludlow, who has 857,000 followers on TikTok, said in a video responding to AFP’s questions that she could understand people trying filters out of curiosity.

But “especially with the AI model content, that just seems like it’s a fetish,” she said.

Unlike real influencers, the models “don’t have a personality or a life or something for you to be invested with”, she said.

“It just feels wrong to fetishise albinism in that way,” said British influencer Mio, 22, who posts about makeup and skincare to her more than 47,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok.

“I think the main reason is to make money, which is so intensely wrong.”

AI images perpetuate “misinformation”, for example that people with albinism have red eyes, she said.

Other AI models trivialise and sexualise severe medical conditions.

One Instagram page with 400,000 followers, apparently based in the United States, shows conjoined twins in bikinis on the beach.

#SPIRITANIMAL

Rare yellow 'albino' turtle that 'looks like melted burger cheese' is rescued from a village pond in India

Animal is believed to be a rare example of the specie called Indian flap shell
It is a bizarre yellow colour likely due to a genetic mutation causing albinism
Villagers s rescued the animal from a pond in a West Bengal, India

By JOE PINKSTONE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 3 November 2020 

A bizarre turtle that is bright yellow has been spotted in a village pond in West Bengal, India.

The rare animal is afflicted with a form of albinism which affects its colouration and has been compared online to melted cheese on a burger.

It belongs to a rare species called the Indian flap shell turtle.


A bizarre turtle that is bright yellow has been spotted in a village pond in West Bengal, India. The rare animal is afflicted with a form of albinism

Sneha Dharwadka posted images of the turtle on Twitter and suggested two potential explanations for its bizarre colouration. 

'It's an albino kind whose peculiar yellow colour is may be bcoz of either some genetic mutation or congenital disorder due to absence of tyrosine pigment,' he says. 

The Indian flap shell turtle, which is normally green, is typically found in South Asia and is between 9 to 14 inches long.

In August, a similar animal of the same species was discovered in Nepal.

At the time it was compared to a mythological incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu.

These two events make up just the fifth and sixth sightings of albinism in this species.

Sneha Dharwadka posted images of the turtle on Twitter and suggested two potential explanations for its bizarre colouration. 'It's an albino kind whose peculiar yellow colour is may be bcoz of either some genetic mutation or congenital disorder due to absence of tyrosine pigment,' he says

The Indian flap shell turtle, which is normally green, is typically found in South Asia and is between 9 to 14 inches long. In August, a similar animal of the same species was discovered in Nepal

pic.twitter.com/kNQ4F48lTI— Ordingandr (@Ordingandr96) November 1, 2020

Kamal Devkota, a reptile expert who documented the previous find, said the reptile had a deep spiritual significance.

'Not only golden animals but turtles overall have significant religious and cultural value in Nepal,' he said.

'It is believed that Lord Vishnu took the form of a turtle to save the universe from destruction in his incarnation.

'In Hindu mythology the upper shell of the turtle denotes the sky and lower shell denotes earth.'

Vi tushnu'srtle avatar, known as Kurma, is today worshipped in a number of temples in India.

The golden turtle owes its remarkable colour to chromatic leucism — a condition characterised by a loss of colour pigmentation.

Leucism usually results in white, pale or patchy skin, but in this case it lead to xanthophores — cells abundant with yellow pigments — becoming dominant.

God said: pic.twitter.com/3m20Iqk5Oe— WeaponTheory (@WeaponTheory) November 1, 2020

Kamal Devkota, a reptile expert who documented a similar previous find, said the reptile had a deep spiritual significance. 'Not only golden animals but turtles overall have significant religious and cultural value in Nepal,' he said

 

Diversity of skin and hair color in humans is controlled by the levels at which a major albinism gene, OCA2, undergoes exon skipping – according to new research

PLOS

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Five human hands on brown surface.

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Credit: Clay Banks, Unsplash (CC0, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Genetics: https://plos.io/3If3j5v

Article title: From paleness to albinism: Contribution of OCA2 exon 10 skipping to hypopigmentation

Author countries: France, United Kingdom

Funding: Genespoir, the French albinism association to SJ; the French National Research Agency / Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-21-CE17-0041-01 to BA); the Wellcome Trust (224643/Z/21/Z to P.I.S.); the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Lecturer Programme (CL-2017-06-001 to P.I.S.); the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR 203308 to P.I.S.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Journal

PLOS Genetics

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgen.1011801 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Madagascar police shoot dead protesters seeking revenge for albino kidnapping

FRANCE 24 - Yesterday 

At least 18 people were killed in Madagascar on Monday when police opened fire on a what they called a lynch mob demanding that officials turn over to them four suspects held for allegedly kidnapping a child with albinism and killing the mother.

Madagascar police shoot dead protesters seeking revenge for albino kidnapping© Rijasolo, AFP

Dozens were wounded, some of them seriously.

"At the moment, 18 people have died in all, nine on the spot and nine in hospital," said doctor Tango Oscar Toky, chief physician at a hospital in southeastern Madagascar.

"Of the 34 injured, nine are between life and death," said the doctor giving graphic details of the injuries. "We are waiting for a government helicopter to evacuate them to the capital".

Around 500 protesters armed with blades and machetes "tried to force their way" into the station, a police officer involved in the shooting said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"There were negotiations, (but) the villagers insisted," the officer told AFP over the phone from the town of Ikongo, 90 kilometres (56 miles) southeast of the capital Antananarivo.

Police first fired teargas and then rounds in the air to try to disperse the crowd, he said.

"They continued to force their way through. We had no choice but to defend ourselves," the officer added.

The national police in the capital confirmed the "very sad event", but only gave a toll of 11, with 18 injured.

Andry Rakotondrazaka, the national police chief, told a news conference that what happened was a "very sad event. It could have been avoided but it happened".

He said the police "did everything to avoid confrontation", including negotiating with the crowd,

"But there were provocations"... (and) there were people with "long-bladed knives and sticks", he said, adding others hurled stones towards the police.

"The gendarmes used tear gas. But that was not enough to stop the crowd from advancing. There was shooting in the air."

But in the end the gendarmes had "no choice but to resort to self-defence... and limit the damage by shooting".

The kidnapping took place last week, according to Jean-Brunelle Razafintsiandraofa, a member of parliament for Ikongo district.

Revenge attacks

Revenge attacks are common in Madagascar.

In February 2017, a mob of 800 people barged into Ikongo prison in search of a murder suspect they intended to kill.

They overpowered guards and 120 prisoners broke out of jail.

In 2013, a Frenchman, a Franco-Italian and a local man accused of killing a child on the tourist island of Nosy Be were burned alive by a crowd.

Some sub-Saharan African countries have suffered a wave of assaults against people with albinism, whose body parts are sought for witchcraft practices in the mistaken belief that they bring luck and wealth.

Albinism, caused by a lack of melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and eyes, is a genetic condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, particularly in Africa.

Under The Same Sun, a Canada-based charity working to combat discrimination, has been logging cases of similar violence across Africa.

It ranks Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania as the countries where such attacks are most prevalent.

Madagascar, a large Indian Ocean island country, is ranked among the poorest in the world.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)

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