(CNN) -- As many as 10,000 albinos are in hiding in east Africa over fears that they will be dismembered and their body parts sold to witchdoctors, the Red Cross said in a recent report. The killings of albinos in Burundi and Tanzania, who are targeted because their body parts are believed to have special powers, have sparked fears among the population in the two countries, the report said. Body parts of albinos are sought in some regions of Africa because they are believed to bring wealth and good luck. Attackers chop off limbs and pluck out organs to sell to dealers, who in turn sell them to witchdoctors.
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About 10,000 albinos in hiding in east Africa over fears they will be dismembered
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Albinos have been killed in Burundi and Tanzania because their body parts are believed to have special powers
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Tanzanian government officials mobilizing police to help embattled population
Burundi
Burundi
Scores of albinos have fled to Tanzanian schools for the disabled or in emergency shelters set up by police in @placeholder to avoid attacks, according to the report.
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Tanzania
Tanzanian
In early November, a court sentenced four people to death in northern @placeholder for killing an albino man and selling his body parts.
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Tanzania
Tanzanian
So far, seven people have been sentenced to death for the killing of more than 50 @placeholder albinos, including children, in the past two years, Haule said.