Police in Malawi have arrested a man for trying to strangle to death a 16-year-old albino boy , while Tanzanian authorities have arrested 200 witchdoctors in a crackdown on the shocking trade . The suspect had been on the run after he was caught trying to kill the 16-year-old at his home in February and will soon appear in court facing a charge of attempted murder . Across many parts of Africa , albinos are killed for their body parts , which are then sold to witchdoctors who use them for rituals and potions . Police in Malawi have arrested a man for trying to strangle to death a 16-year-old albino boy . Pictured are children being kept at a centre to prevent them becoming victims of the black market trade in body parts . Six albinos have been killed in the southern African country of Malawi since December . File image used . Six albinos have been killed in the impoverished southern African country since December , according to the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi . Boniface Massah , the organisation 's director , said Malawian albinos are 'living in fear of being attacked or killed ' because of the recent spate of murders . Belief in witchcraft runs deep in Malawi and albino body parts are often used in rituals . Even the bodies of dead albinos are sometimes exhumed and sold . Earlier this week , UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein denounced attacks against albinos as 'stunningly vicious , with children in particular being targeted ' . Countries in east and west Africa are worst affected , and Tanzania near Malawi has one of the highest attack rates , where body parts sell for around $ 600 and an entire corpse fetches $ 75,000 . Meanwhile , Tanzanian police said they had arrested 225 unlicensed traditional healers and soothsayers during a special operation carried out in several parts of the east African country and due to be extended to all 30 regions . Two women carry their albino children on May 5 , 2014 , in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania . Advera Bulimba , a police spokesperson , said : 'Some of those arrested were found in possession of items like lizard skin , warthog teeth , ostrich eggs , monkey tails , bird claws , mule tails and lion skin . ' He added the police campaign would target the entire network of gangsters , traders and witchdoctors , adding that 97 of those detained had already appeared in court . The statement also appealed to religious leaders , traditional elders , politicians and journalists 'to continue the awareness campaign against superstitious beliefs that are holding back the development of our country . ' The announcement comes after President Jakaya Kikwete said the ongoing attacks against people with albinism , whose body parts are used for witchcraft , were 'disgusting and a big embarrassment for the nation ' . In the most recently reported attack , a six-year-old albino boy 's hand was hacked off with a machete and his mother assaulted as she tried to protect him . Savage attack : A group of men hacked off six-year-old Baraka Cosmas ' right hand on Saturday night . On Tuesday , police said seven suspects had been arrested in connection with that attack , which left the boy and his mother hospitalised . And last week a Tanzanian court sentenced four people to death for the murder of an albino woman whose legs and right hand were hacked off with an axe and machete . The killers who were convicted also included the husband of the murdered woman . President Kikwete met with albino activists last week , promising to do more to stop the wave of violence . 'The government has long tried to do everything possible to stop the killings , we are very serious with this , ' he said . 'But we still need to enhance our efforts to bring to an end these killings , which are disgusting and a big embarrassment to the nation . ' Albinism is a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total absence of pigmentation in the skin , hair and eyes . It affects one Tanzanian in 1,400 , often as a result of inbreeding , experts say .
The man was arrested for trying to strange to death 16-year-old albino boy . He will soon appear in Malawian court to face an attempted murder charge . Across Africa , albinos are killed for their body parts to be used in rituals . It comes as Tanzania announced it 's arrested Six witchdoctors . They were caught with skins , warthog teeth , ostrich eggs and bird claws .