Landricia was 18 months old when she was taken.
It was in the early hours of the morning, in late May, on the outskirts of Toliara, in southern Madagascar. Three men entered Nicole Soalala’s home, one carrying an axe and another a piece of wood. They beat her husband until he was unconscious and tore the little girl from her arms. Landricia had albinism.
Days later, her body was found at a traditional healer’s home. Her head was in plastic bags inside a suitcase, two kilometers from her home.
The reason is superstition: it is believed that ointments made from body parts of a person with albinism, especially the eyes, bring wealth and good fortune. And that children, because of their innocence, enhance the effect.
According to an investigation by The Guardian, 2026 is already the worst year for attacks in Madagascar: 13 people murdered, all beheaded. The organization Albinos Madagascar confirmed that ten were minors.
The attacks, once concentrated in impoverished rural areas, have now reached cities in the southeast, west, and north of the country.
