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Gambian parliament to discuss bill to decriminalise female genital mutilation

Gambian parliament to discuss bill to decriminalise female genital mutilation

A bill seeking to repeal Gambia's ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) was presented in the West African country's parliament and will be discussed by lawmakers later this month. Former president Yahya Jammeh banned the practice in 2015 and introduced steep fines and jail sentences for perpetrators. However, many Gambians still believe that FGM is a requirement of Islam and the bill -- introduced by lawmaker Almameh Gibba -- argues that the current ban violates citizens' rights to practice their culture and religion. The bill has divided public opinion. Anti-FGM advocates point to the harmful physical and psychological effects of…
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UK plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda suffers first parliamentary defeats

UK plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda suffers first parliamentary defeats

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered his first defeat over his legislation to send asylum seekers to Rwanda after the upper house of parliament demanded greater protections to be introduced before deportation flights can take off. Under the Rwanda plan, which has yet to be carried out, asylum seekers who arrive on England's southern coast in small, inflatable boats would be sent to live in Rwanda, but so far no one has been deported because of ongoing legal challenges. In an effort to overcome resistance from the courts, Sunak's government is passing legislation through parliament that would block further legal challenges…
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Senegal election crisis shakes support for Macky Sall’s coalition 

Senegal election crisis shakes support for Macky Sall’s coalition 

WRITER Moustapha Gueye voted for Senegalese President Macky Sall in the last two elections. But disappointment in Sall's second term and the president's thwarted attempt to postpone the next vote have shaken Gueye's allegiance to the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition. Reclining on a sofa at his home in Dakar, Gueye said he was saddened that Sall's presidency had culminated in a bitter electoral tussle with the opposition and in unrest that has dented Senegal's reputation as one of West Africa's more stable nations. "These are domestic issues that Senegal should have grown out of," he said. Sall's shock decision to issue a decree delaying…
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Ghana’s new anti-homosexuality bill violates everyone’s rights, not just LGBTIQ+ people – expert

Ghana’s new anti-homosexuality bill violates everyone’s rights, not just LGBTIQ+ people – expert

GHANA'S new anti-homosexuality bill infringes several rights and freedoms, not only of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people but of heterosexuals too. The bill has been in the works since 2021 when it was tabled in parliament as a private member’s bill. The objective of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill is to provide for human sexual rights and family values and for related matters. KWADWO APPIAGYEI-ATUA, Associate Professor of Law, University of Ghana At the heart of the contention about the proposed law is the question of discrimination, its purpose and its effect of…
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Yaya Dillo: What does killing mean for Chad and its ruling elite?

Yaya Dillo: What does killing mean for Chad and its ruling elite?

DAYS after the killing of Chad opposition politician Yaya Dillo, in disputed circumstances, many in the conflict-racked Central African nation are worried about how his allies, powerful relatives and rivals will react. HOW DID YAYA DILLO DIE? The Chadian government has said Dillo was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security forces on February 28. It said members of his Socialist Party Without Borders had earlier attacked the internal security agency. But the FACT opposition rebel group and the CNRD opposition party have called it an assassination and analysts say the circumstances are unclear. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CHAD? The capital…
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Iran’s president discusses Gaza with Algerian counterpart, Algeria’s presidency says

Iran’s president discusses Gaza with Algerian counterpart, Algeria’s presidency says

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi discussed bilateral relations, energy cooperation, trade and Gaza with Algeria's leader Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a one-day state visit, according to Algeria's presidency. Algeria, a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, backs the Palestinian cause and has called several times for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
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Tunisia raises drinking water prices by up to 16% due to drought

Tunisia raises drinking water prices by up to 16% due to drought

TUNISIA has raised its drinking water prices by up to 16%, the official gazette said, in response to a drought that has lasted five years. After years of drought, average rainfall has increased in recent months but government officials said this week that Tunisian dams have only reached 35% of their stock capacity. The North African country last year imposed a quota system for drinking water and a ban on its use in agriculture. Since last summer, it has been cutting off water supplies at night. The price of water will be unchanged for small consumers. Those whose consumption exceeds 40 cubic…
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South Africa condemns Israel over deaths of Palestinians awaiting aid

South Africa condemns Israel over deaths of Palestinians awaiting aid

SOUTH Africa said that the killing of Palestinians awaiting aid in Gaza breached the World Court's provisional orders in a legal case in which Pretoria has accused Israel of committing genocide in the coastal enclave. Gaza health authorities said on Thursday Israeli forces had killed over 100 Palestinians trying to reach a relief convoy. Israel blamed most of the deaths on crowds that swarmed around aid trucks, saying most victims were trampled or run over though an Israeli official said Israeli troops had "in a limited response" later fired on crowds they felt posed a threat. "South Africa condemns the massacre of 112…
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Senegalese president condemns violent attack against journalist

Senegalese president condemns violent attack against journalist

SENEGAL'S President Macky Sall condemned a violent knife attack on a prominent female journalist and director of a private television station. Maimouna Ndour Faye, who presents a political programme for 7TV television channel, was attacked and stabbed several times near her home in the early hours of Friday by an unknown assailant, the channel said in a statement. Faye was hospitalised and her condition is stable, it said. The attack comes amid heightened political tension in the West African nation over the postponement of a presidential election that was scheduled for February 25. It was unclear if the attack was politically motivated,…
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Ex-Tanzanian president Mwinyi, who launched country’s free market, dead at 98

Ex-Tanzanian president Mwinyi, who launched country’s free market, dead at 98

FORMER Tanzanian President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, credited with ushering the East African nation into free market economics, has died at age 98, current President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in a television broadcast. Mwinyi succeeded Tanzania's first post-independence president, Julius Nyerere, who left office in 1985 after 22 years in power. "On behalf of the government, I would like to convey my condolences to the family, relatives, friends and all Tanzanians for this loss," President Hassan said. Mwinyi was credited with introducing free market policies and was in turn succeeded by the late Benjamin Mkapa in 1995. President Hassan said Mwinyi…
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