Nearly 20 dead in protests after kidnapping of albino child in Madagascar

Almost 20 people have been killed in clashes between police officers and angry protesters after an albino child was kidnapped in Madagascar. As the police announced on Tuesday, police officers in the small town of Ikongo in the southeast of the island state shot at demonstrators on Monday, who were demanding the release of four suspects who had been arrested. 19 people were killed and 21 others injured.

Police arrested four suspects shortly after the kidnapping of the child last week. However, residents of Ikongo demanded their release in order to hold them accountable themselves.

According to the police, around 500 people, some armed with knives and machetes, marched to the police station on Monday. Police officers tried to talk to the demonstrators and prevent a "bloodbath", Madagascar's police chief Andry Rakotondrazaka told journalists in the capital Antananarivo.

The demonstrators then tried to overcome security barriers. According to Rakotondrazaka, the police officers first used tear gas and fired warning shots before firing live ammunition at the protesters.

"The police officers had no other choice," said Rakotondrazaka. They should have resorted to "legitimate self-defence" as a "last resort". "This is a very sad event that could have been prevented, but what happened happened." The police launched an investigation into the incident and offered their condolences to the families of those killed.

Albinism is a genetic disorder of pigment formation in the skin, hair and eyes. In parts of Africa, albinos are repeatedly attacked, killed and mutilated because their body parts are said to have good luck and magical powers.