Gay rights activists in Nigeria are criticizing the arrest and detention this week of dozens of people who attended a same-sex wedding. It is one of the biggest mass arrests in recent years targeting the country’s LGBTQ community.

A Nigerian police spokesperson said 67 people remained in custody on charges they broke the law by attending the same-sex wedding in the Delta state town of Ekpan.

The Delta state police said they received information about Monday’s wedding after officers on routine patrol Sunday randomly stopped one of the invited guests and interrogated him. It was not clear if he was stopped based on what he was wearing.

The police raided the wedding venue on Monday and rounded up the two grooms, along with guests.

Authorities also paraded the defendants before the media and said the accused will be made to face the law.

“We already have the remand warrant from the court to still have them in custody because we still have more evidence to bring up together,” Bright Edafe, the Delta state police spokesman, told VOA by phone, “but by the end of this week, they’ll be charged to court.”

Edafe said police recovered materials, including hard drugs and gay marriage ceremonial dresses, during the raid.

If convicted, the defendants face 14 years’ imprisonment, according to an anti-homosexuality law that went into effect in 2014. Police said others accused in the case will be jailed for 10 years if convicted.

The latest arrests come five years after police raided a hotel in Lagos and arrested 57 men for homosexuality.

But criticism has been growing following the latest incident. Rights group Amnesty International condemned the arrests in a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and asked authorities to “put an immediate end to this witch-hunt.”

The group said that the arrests discriminated based on perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, and that Nigeria’s law was being increasingly used by officers to harass, blackmail and extort victims.

“Basic rights of privacy, freedom of association has been rolled back, and it’s worrying because you don’t see public pushback against this,” said Kayode Somtochukwu Ani, founder of Queer Union for Economic and Social Transformation. “And because these human rights abuses are launched on minorities, particularly minorities … the state knows that they can drum up moral panic about [it].”

Edafe said he disagrees with activists defending the detainees.

“If Amnesty International knows what they’re doing, they’ll know that there’s a law in this country that prohibits gay marriages, so calling the same government who put that law in place to take action, I wonder what kind of action they’re requesting,” he said. “This is Nigeria, and whomever must live in this country must live by the laws of the land.”

Homosexuality is widely viewed as a Western import in many parts of Africa, including Nigeria.

In May, Uganda passed a law that punishes homosexuality by imposing the death sentence, despite pressure from Western governments and rights organizations. Two men this week were charged under the new law for what authorities called “aggravated homosexuality.”
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An original animated series from Africa has made its debut on the Netflix streaming platform. The series, dubbed “Supa Team 4,” was written by a young Zambian and takes place in a futuristic version of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. Kathy Short reports from Lusaka. VOA footage by Richard Kille.
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A group of army officers in the central African nation of Gabon say they have overthrown the government of President Ali Bongo.

The officers announced the coup early Wednesday morning on national television channel Gabon 24, hours after the nation’s election commission had announced that President Bongo had won a third term in last week’s general elections.

The group said that the election results were invalidated, all state institutions dissolved and all borders closed until further notice. 

“We have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” one of the officers said.

Bongo first took office in 2009, after the death of his father, Omar Bongo who had become president in 1967.

Gunfire was heard throughout Gabon’s capital, Libreville, after the television appearance.

Some information for this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse.

 
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Somali President Says Military Operations Against Al-Shabab Will Continue Until ‘Final Victory’
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With no political solution in sight, the United Nations refugee agency warns that Niger’s political crisis could rapidly deteriorate into a humanitarian crisis as attacks by non-state armed groups continue and sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States on the country begin to bite.

Since a military coup ousted Niger’s democratically elected president on July 26, “there has been a crisis of uncertainty,” said Emmanuel Gignac, the representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Niger.

“It is difficult to see what will happen,” but given the unsettled situation, he said, “the UNHCR and U.N. agencies are developing contingency plans to be prepared for whatever emergency may arise.”

Gignac said violence and attacks by armed groups, especially near the Mali and Burkina Faso borders, have displaced more than 20,000 people in the last month.

During the same period, he noted that up to 2,500 refugees, mainly from Mali and Burkina Faso and some from Nigeria, have fled into Niger — a situation that “has heightened protection risks for refugees, asylum-seekers, and their hosts.”

Currently, said the UNHCR, Niger is hosting 700,000 forcibly displaced people; half are refugees and asylum seekers and the other half are internally displaced people.

On a visit to Geneva from his post in Niamey, Gignac told journalists Tuesday that Niger’s status as a hub for refugees was in jeopardy.

“It is also a route, a migration route towards North Africa and Libya in particular,” he said. “And we do have asylum seekers and people in need of international protection who are mixed with these movements.”

Because the borders are closed, he said, it was not clear whether these flows would continue.

“If they do,” he said, “they will have to happen in a way that is far more underground than what they used to be. So, this may also lead to more exploitation and abuses.”

Additionally, Gignac noted that since the UNHCR established the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in 2017, Niger also has offered protection to more than 4,242 vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees evacuated from Libya.

“Prior to the July 26 coup, an ETM flight from Libya was planned for the fourth quarter,” he said. “UNHCR is awaiting approval from authorities for the transfer and will keep monitoring conditions to determine the feasibility of bringing new ETM refugees into the country.”

Concern about sanctions, military intervention

Gignac said the threat of military intervention by ECOWAS, though seemingly unlikely, hung in the air and must be taken seriously. He said he was particularly concerned by the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, which made no exceptions for humanitarian relief.

He called for the sanctions to be lifted, warning that the inability to bring sufficient humanitarian aid into the country would have a catastrophic effect.

“The fact that people do not have access to, as they used to have, to food commodities and the scarcity of goods in general will lead to a number of protection risks that will develop,” he said. “We are talking about early marriage, sexual violence, trafficking and exploitation.”

He said the sanctions already were creating difficulties as they kicked in during Niger’s so-called “hunger period”—the time before the next harvest when food stocks are at their lowest.

“These factors, with an expected increase in agitation by non-state armed groups, as well as ongoing heavy rains, have worsened the already dire humanitarian outlook for vulnerable populations,” he said.

Gignac said the two main non-state actors in Niger were Islamic State militants who operate on the Mali side of the border, and an al-Qaida affiliated group based on a riverbank near Burkina Faso. He added that criminal gangs in the Mali region “enacted similar damage and acts of violence.”

Violence increases since coup

The UNHCR, which has a well-developed monitoring system that tracks incidents of abuse, found there to be 255 incidents in July including kidnapping, gender-based violence and domestic violence. The agency blames the incidents on militants and criminal gangs.

“These data are in line with other months of 2023,” said Gignac. “UNHCR teams have witnessed a sharp increase in such incidents since July 26” noting that “between July 26 and July 31, we observed a 50 percent increase in similar incidents from the earlier weeks in July.”

For now, Gignac said there have been no reports of large movements of people fleeing from Niger to neighboring countries. But given the political crisis, related uncertainties, and the potential for increased inter-communal violence, he said, this could change.

“If there was a military intervention, we know that Nigeria would play a key role in the force,” he said, adding that Nigerians comprised nearly two-thirds of the 350,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Niger.

“How would the host community react?” he asked. “On the one hand, generously hosting refugees from Nigeria and on the other hand being a kind of attacker, you know?”
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African women are looking for different ways to style their hair, particularly to reduce the use of harsh chemicals that can have adverse health effects. One option is synthetic hair. While no apparent health issues are associated with its use, disposing of it raises environmental concerns. As Juma Majanga reports, women in Kenya’s Kisumu County have found a clever way of recycling it. Camera — Amos Wangwa
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Somali government forces Monday retreated from towns and villages captured in recent months after the al-Shabab militant group carried out a deadly attack on a newly captured base in the village of Cowsweyne. 

Two Somali government officials who did not want to be identified because they are not allowed to comment on sensitive military operations told VOA Somali that government troops retreated from El Dheer, Masagaway, Gal’ad and Budbud.

Without naming towns, Somali government commander Major Ismail Abdimalik said troops pulled back from some previously captured areas.

“There are small strategic retreats,” he said while defending the strategy.

The retreat followed what appears to be one of the deadliest attacks by al-Shabab on Somali government forces Saturday in Cowsweyne, where troops had initially dislodged al-Shabab on Aug. 22.

Somali government officials have avoided giving details of the attack, but multiple security sources who did not want to be identified said the two brigades that captured Cowsweyne suffered heavy losses. A local official described the attack in Cowsweyne as “painful.”

Al-Shabab released a statement claiming to have “overrun” the base, killing 178 soldiers, and capturing prisoners. That claim has not been independently verified.

An al-Shabab official in central Somalia, Yusuf Isse Kabakutukade, Monday claimed the attack on Cowsweyne was a “historic victory.”

He said Somali government leaders had underestimated the militants saying, “it’s a small group, we are going to round them up.”

He boasted that al-Shabab fighters seized a large quantity of weapons in Cowsweyne that the group can use them fight for years to come.

Somali officials said the militants attacked Cowsweyne using explosions from vehicle-borne explosive devices, or car bombs, followed by an attack by armed militants who engaged in heavy gun battles with government forces.

The state-run Somali National News Agency said government forces repelled the attack and destroyed the car bombs. But a purported al-Shabab video of the attack published Monday shows multiple dead bodies scattered in the base.

The capture of Cowsweyne, 60 kilometers northwest of El Dheer town, was part of a Somali government effort to remove the group from central Somalia and push the militants to the south.

Despite the retreat, brigades from Somali government forces are still holding the town of Elbur, which they captured on Aug. 25.

Elbur is deep inside al-Shabab territory and was one of two main targets for the government forces. The troops that were preparing to capture the second main target, Galhareri were the same two brigades attacked in Cowsweyne.

“Elbur is calm, the army is clearing it, they are ready to defend themselves,” says Abdimalik who was one of the government commanders leading the capture of Elbur.

“They are a reliable force capable of defeating against any force that attacks them. Reports suggesting they are besieged are fake,” he added.

A foreign diplomat based in Mogadishu, commenting on the attack on Cowsweyne, said he believes the military offensive will not stop.

“I think that there are some lessons to be learned, but the operations will continue,” he said. “The determination is there.”

The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has been spearheading the latest military push into al-Shabab territory. Mohamud has been in Dhusamareb, the central Galmudug state regional capital to encourage the troops and military offensive. 

During a town hall meeting on Aug. 17, he said the plan is to remove al-Shabaab within five months.

He also said it will be unacceptable and disrespectful of the soldiers who shed their blood if al-Shabab were to return to towns recaptured from the group.

Al-Shabab militants have been withdrawing from towns and villages and retreating into the bush with the intention of a prolonged guerrilla war.  
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Diplomatic representatives from the United States and the United Kingdom are calling upon the South Sudanese government to initiate a thorough investigation of the 2017 death of British-American journalist Christopher Allen.

A 26-year-old freelance journalist who held British and American nationality, Allen was shot and killed on August 26 of that year while covering a confrontation between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the former rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition, SPLA-IO, in Central Equatoria state along the South Sudanese-Ugandan border.

American and British embassies in South Sudan recently issued a joint statement marking the sixth anniversary of Allen’s passing, urging South Sudanese officials to probe and release the findings of what led to his killing.

South Sudan has refused all prior calls to hold an investigation. Allen’s family has been unsuccessful in calling on the FBI to investigate his death as a possible war crime.

In an audio recording shared with VOA by the U.S. embassy in Juba, U.S. ambassador to South Sudan Michael J. Adler emphasized the importance of transparency from the South Sudanese government.

“On this somber anniversary, the U.S. and U.K. Embassies renew calls for the transitional government of South Sudan to conduct a credible investigation into the death of Christopher Allen, to make the results public, and to ensure accountability,” Adler said. “After six years, Mr. Allen’s family, friends, and colleagues deserve answers.”

South Sudan’s information minister and government spokesperson Michael Makuei initially labeled Allen as a “white rebel,” who met his end in the skirmishes. However, Makuei later altered the narrative, asserting that Allen fell victim to crossfire as government troops battled SPLA-IO rebels.

John Wulu, a South Sudanese journalist, highlighted the chilling impact of Allen’s death on the state of press freedom in the region.

“Working as a journalist in South Sudan within a conflict zone is perilous. Our country lacks professionalism, and amidst the numerous conflicts, it’s often unclear who is fighting whom,” he told VOA. “This uncertainty extends to our safety.”

Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, a spokesperson for the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, attributed the responsibility for investigating Allen’s death to the SPLA-IO. Koang argued that Allen was a guest of the SPLA-IO.

At the time of his death, Allen was embedded with the SPLA-IO when the former rebel fighters attacked the defense forces in the government-held town of Kaya in Central Equatoria state.

“The SPLA-IO should be responsible for the investigation. He entered the country illegally, associated with hostile forces, and they attacked us. We’re not accountable.

“Those who misled him and embedded him with their forces should conduct the inquiry into his demise,” Koang added. “Our forces were attacked, and they retaliated in self-defense. We have no reason to investigate a death that occurred on the other side. Had he been killed on our side, we’d have undertaken the investigation.”

Col. Lam Paul Gabriel, spokesperson for the SPLA-IO, countered Koang’s stance, asserting that his group does not bear responsibility for investigating Allen’s killers.

“The American government is likely asking for the unity government to take responsibility, provide strong policies against such incidents, and possibly issue a statement to the late journalist’s family,” Gabriel said.

Adler underscored that the demand for a credible investigation and accountability regarding Allen’s death is integral to the safety of journalists in South Sudan. The U.S. envoy to South Sudan said that an independent and uninhibited press is a cornerstone of healthy democracies worldwide.

“This issue concerns the right of journalists to work without endangerment and the eradication of impunity for acts of violence and crimes against them,” Adler said. 

South Sudan In Focus’ Deng Ghai Deng contributed to this report. This story originated in VOA’s English to Africa Service. 
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Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has laid out conditions for ending its conflict with the country’s army. The RSF says it wants a peaceful solution and a return to civilian government.

In a statement, the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said his group is ready to resolve the conflict with Sudan’s Armed Forces peacefully, with a settlement that would lead to civilian rule.

Dagalo said he wants talks that would include political parties and civil society, aim to restructure Sudan’s national army, and address the root causes of Sudan’s wars.

Hala al-Karib, regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, suggested Dagalo’s comments are at least partially for show.  

“It’s kind of trying to appeal to the international community, to the regional actors … they think that they can actually wash their crimes and what they have done by just showing up and say that,” she said. “But the grievances are way too much, and the level of violence that has been happening in Sudan … since April 15, you know, it’s historical.”

Karib said the RSF and others involved in the recent violence, abuse and atrocities must be punished for their crimes. 

“Without very serious compromises from the RSF side, without them accepting responsibility for their crimes and accepting mechanisms of justice and coming clean about that … even if an agreement was signed, that would be a recipe for another cycle of violence,” she said.

The RSF’s vision to end the more than four-month conflict through a negotiated settlement comes as Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the sovereign council and Sudan’s Armed Forces, visited the coastal city of Port Sudan on Sunday, where he met government representatives and the United Nations officials and aid agencies who have set up a humanitarian base. 

Dr. Edgar Githua, a lecturer at United States International University and Strathmore University specializing in international relations, peace and conflict, told VOA the emergence of Burhan in public is a sign he is afraid of being sidelined in the country’s future. 

“He’s trying to also just gain acceptance, and its confidence building not only to himself but also to the international community,” Githua said of Burhan. “And I have a feeling this conflict in Sudan is coming to a point where he is beginning to realize that the longer it prolongs, the longer he will isolate himself internationally. So, going forward, there will be overtures that we’ll definitely try and bring about. He will be open to talks, discussions, and negotiations towards de-escalating the whole situation in Sudan.”

Conflict between Sudan’s Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces broke out in April after the rival leaders failed to agree on how to lead the country to civilian rule. A power struggle ensued between Burhan and Dagalo, also known as Hemeti. 

 

The warring parties sent delegates to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in an effort to reach an agreement, but talks were unsuccessful. 

 

Githua said it will take time for talks to succeed. 

“Eventually, at some point, Burhan and Dagalo will have to come in front of the international community and cameras to shake hands and bury the hatchet,” he said. “But for now, if it’s the representatives that are doing it, so be it. But I know Burhan will not want to meet with Dagalo anytime soon. He hates him and he considers him to be someone very junior and minor to him.”

Karib said her country needs a peaceful settlement that will stop the war and suffering. 

“I don’t think the country can afford short-term solutions anymore. We have been on these cycles of short-term solutions for a very, very long time and failed agreements. And every agreement fails,” she said. “It takes us to an atrocity and violence that’s worse than the one before.”

The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 4.6 million people being forced from their homes, and the U.N. says six million people are on the brink of famine. 
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It was not clear Monday if the French ambassador to Niger had left the African country as he was ordered to do by the country’s new leaders.  

On Friday, Niger’s foreign ministry said Sylvain Itte had 48 hours to leave. The ultimatum was given after Itte refused to meet with the military leaders who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup in July. 

Bazoum and his family have been detained by the military in the presidential palace.  

Niger is a former French colony, and France still has 1,500 soldiers in the African country. They have helped Niger to fight jihadi forces.  

Thousands of Nigeriens took to the streets of Niamey, the capital, Sunday to show their support for the military officers who deposed Bazoum.    

France has not recognized Niger’s new leaders, saying that Bazoum’s government remains the only legitimate authority in Niger.  

France has also agreed with the West African bloc ECOWAS and its calls for Bazoum’s reinstatement.   

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is also the chair of ECOWAS, has been invited to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden next month on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where the two leaders are likely to discuss Niger. 

ECOWAS has threatened to use military force to restore Bazoum.  

Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse. 
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Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said it was open to a long-term cease-fire with the army and presented its vision for a “Sudan Reborn,” an initiative that could revive efforts to hold direct talks between the warring parties.

The statement came as fighting between the RSF and the army enters its 20th week with no side claiming victory while millions have been driven from their homes in the capital and other cities.

The United Nations has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions,” with rising hunger, collapsing healthcare, and wrecked infrastructure. The RSF and allied militias have also been accused of ethnic cleansing in West Darfur.

The two sides blame each other for starting the war on April 15, after weeks of tension over the integration of their troops into a single force as part of a transition to democracy.

The two sides led the country together since toppling Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and pushing civilian politicians out of the government in a coup in 2021.

In the statement released late on Sunday, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo appeared willing to negotiate with the army over the shape of the future Sudanese state, going beyond the technicalities of a permanent ceasefire which have hindered Saudi and U.S.-sponsored mediation efforts.

“Efforts to end the protracted crisis must be directed toward achieving a lasting ceasefire, coupled with comprehensive political solutions that address the root causes of Sudan’s wars,” the statement said.

Under his “Sudan Reborn” plan, Dagalo committed the RSF to previously floated principles such as federal, multicultural rule, democratic elections, and a single army.

The statement came after army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived on Sunday in Port Sudan on his first trip outside the capital since fighting broke out. Government sources say he will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt for talks.

Pro-democracy politicians warned Burhan against announcing a new government, saying it would prompt the RSF to form a parallel authority.

Regional mediators have appeared to accept a future role for soldiers in a transitional government.

But on Friday, the ambassador of the United States, one of the main sponsors of the post-Bashir transition, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “the belligerents, who have demonstrated they are not fit to govern, must end the conflict and transfer power to a civilian transitional government.”
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Thousands of people demonstrated Sunday in Niger in support of last month’s coup, a few hours before the deadline given to France’s ambassador in an ultimatum to leave the country.

Demonstrators gathered near the French military base in the capital Niamey, some waving Nigerien or Russian flags, others with placards calling for the departure of French troops.

Former colonial power France still has 1,500 soldiers based in Niger. They had been helping the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in the fight against jihadi forces active there — before military officers toppled him in the July 26 coup.

The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani has detained him and his family at the presidential palace. 

Sunday’s rally started at dawn on a roundabout near the Niamey airport by the Nigerien air base where the French force is located, as demonstrators answered an appeal from organizations backing the country’s new rulers.

“We don’t want the French army in Niger,” said one demonstrator, Abou Kountche. “Let the French leave.”

“The French say that Niger is a poor country, but when we tell them to go home, they refuse,” said restaurateur Adama Assane.

The demonstration comes after a month of rising tensions and anti-France protests in Niger.

On Friday, Niger’s foreign ministry announced that French ambassador Sylvain Itte had 48 hours to leave, saying he had refused to meet with the new rulers and citing French government actions that were “contrary to the interests of Niger.”

Paris has rejected the demand and said the “putschists do not have the authority to make this request,” insisting that the government of Bazoum that they had overthrown remained the legitimate authority.

On Saturday some 20,000 people rallied in the General Seyni Kountche stadium to support the country’s new military rulers and call for the removal of French soldiers.

France has consistently backed calls by the West African bloc ECOWAS for the reinstatement of President Bazoum.

A hostile rally outside the French embassy on July 30 prompted Paris to organize the voluntary evacuation of its citizens.

ECOWAS has also applied sanctions against the new regime and threatened to use military means to remove it if the new rulers do not hand back power to Bazoum.

Efforts to find a diplomatic solution are continuing, however, with Molly Phee, the top U.S. diplomat for sub-Saharan Africa, visiting Nigeria to meet ECOWAS officials Saturday.
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