Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday signed into law a controversial anti-gay bill, his office and the country’s parliament said, introducing draconian measures against homosexuality that have been described as among the world’s harshest.

Museveni “has assented to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023. It now becomes the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023,” a statement posted on the presidency’s official Twitter account said.

Uganda’s parliament on Twitter said Museveni had approved a new draft of the legislation that had been passed overwhelmingly this month by lawmakers, who defended the measures as a protection of national culture and values.

The president had called on MPs to rework the bill, although most of the hardline provisions that caused an outcry in the West and warnings of diplomatic repercussions were retained.

The amended version said that identifying as gay would not be criminalised but “engaging in acts of homosexuality” would be an offence punishable with life imprisonment.

Although Museveni had advised lawmakers to delete a provision making “aggravated homosexuality” a capital offence, lawmakers rejected that move, meaning that repeat offenders could be sentenced to death.

Uganda has not resorted to capital punishment for many years.

The United States, European Union and international human rights groups have all condemned the bill, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has described it as “probably among the worst of its kind in the world.”

But it enjoys broad public support in Uganda, a devout majority-Christian nation, where homosexuals have faced persistent discrimination in recent years, and same-sex relationships have been attacked as an import from the West.

Discussion of the bill in parliament was laced with homophobic slurs, and Museveni himself referred to gay people as “deviants.”

‘Defending culture’
“As Parliament of Uganda, we have heeded the concerns our people and legislated to protect the sanctity of family,” said one of the bill’s strongest proponents and Uganda’s speaker of parliament, Anita Among, in a statement.

“We have stood strong to defend the Culture, Values and aspirations of our people.”

The revamped bill says that “a person who is believed or alleged or suspected of being a homosexual, who has not committed a sexual act with another person of the same sex, does not commit the offence of homosexuality”.

The earlier version also required Ugandans to report suspected homosexual activity to the police or face six months’ imprisonment.

Lawmakers agreed to amend that provision after Museveni said it risked creating “conflicts in society.”

Instead, the reporting requirement pertained only to suspected sexual offences against children and vulnerable people, with the penalty raised to five years in jail.

According to the new draft, anyone who “knowingly promotes homosexuality” faces up to 20 years in jail — a provision left unchanged from the original bill.

Organisations found guilty of encouraging same-sex activity could face a 10-year ban.

Reaction from civil society in Uganda has been muted following years of erosion of civic space under Museveni’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

But internationally, the law provoked outrage.

The European Parliament voted in April to condemn the bill and asked EU states to pressure Museveni into not implementing it, warning that relations with Kampala were at stake.

The White House has also warned the Ugandan government of possible economic repercussions if the legislation takes effect.

Homosexuality was criminalised in Uganda under colonial laws, but there has never been a conviction for consensual same-sex activity since independence from Britain in 1962.

Guardian

Before Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan got locked into a brutal war with his former deputy, he was propelled to power by powerful Islamists — a tide now turning against him, according to analysts.

Burhan “does not represent a political current in his own right. He’s a chess piece in Sudanese politics,” said Othman al-Mirghani, editor-in-chief of independent daily Al-Tayar.

Under the regime of Islamist-military ruler Omar al-Bashir, who himself came to power in a coup in 1989, Islamists dominated the government, building powerful networks of financial, commercial and political influence.

In 67 years of independence, Sudan has been under military rule for 55.

“Sudanese politics is therefore deeply militarised, and the Sudanese armed forces is a significantly politicised institution,” according to the Rift Valley Institute think tank.

As the army moved to oust Bashir in 2019 under pressure from mass pro-democracy protests, the country’s Islamists resigned themselves to a low profile in what seemed to be the twilight of their reign.

Bashir’s long-ruling National Congress Party (NCP) was banned, government officials were imprisoned, and the army — anxious to appease both the public and international allies — chose “an obscure army officer” to lead the transition, according to Sudan expert Alex de Waal.

‘Secure their place’
At the helm of the country during a stuttering transition to civilian rule, Burhan attempted to distance himself from the Islamists, including by releasing statements against Bashir’s old party.

A mere month before the war began with his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo — commonly known as Hemeti — Burhan called on soldiers to “end” the military tradition of “supporting dictatorial governments,” referring to the old guard.

But with “his handicaps not limited to his bumbling public speaking,” according to de Waal, he could only distance himself so far.

“Unlike Hemeti, or Bashir before him, he doesn’t have his own personal source of cash for greasing political deals, and has been forced to haggle with the military capitalists and old guard cronies on key decisions.”

According to one military analyst from the region, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, “the Islamists have worked since 1989 to gain their hold over the army.”

“Burhan tried to get rid of some of them,” he said, but was only able to dismiss a few.

The Islamists maintained powerful positions in Sudan’s security apparatus and on October 25, 2021, Burhan “bowed to pressure and launched his coup”, Sudanese author Amir Babiker told AFP.

The takeover — for which he collaborated with now-enemy Daglo — ousted civilian officials from a power-sharing arrangement that was to lead to full civilian rule.

Quickly, Burhan cracked down on a commission responsible for dismantling the financial networks and economic empires that Bashir’s allies had built.

Pro-democracy activists warned their revolution was being reversed, as several high-ranking officials from the Bashir era found roles in Burhan’s administration.

In the early weeks of the war, more top officials from Bashir’s regime escaped from prison, and the NCP itself reappeared to voice its support for the army.

“They’re taking advantage of the exceptional situation the country is in to secure their place” in the future political landscape, according to Mirghani.

Pressure rising
According to experts, Burhan seems to be facing more and more pressure from his own camp.

On Friday, he sent a letter to the United Nations’ secretary general requesting the dismissal of special envoy Volker Perthes, who has long been the target of accusations of “foreign intervention”.

Thousands of military and Islamist supporters held protests in the months leading up to the war, demanding the UN mission chief’s dismissal.

Days before fighting began, the UN urged Sudanese authorities to investigate after a man publicly called for Perthes’ murder at a conference of Islamist parties and others linked to the Bashir regime.

In his letter, Burhan accused Perthes of bias and of stoking the war by presenting a misleading picture of the situation in Sudan.

“Without these signs of encouragement, the rebel leader Daglo would not have launched his military operations,” the letter read.

It has never been possible to verify who fired the first shots of the war, which Burhan must fight on multiple fronts in order to survive, according to Mirghani.

His own supporters readily remind the public that Burhan himself named Daglo as his second-in-command — an ambitious militia leader originally armed by Bashir to crush rebels in Darfur.

Islamist and pro-Bashir television channels in exile now accuse Burhan of giving too much leeway to Daglo, which some suggest lays the groundwork for his eventual sidelining.

“At the end of the day, he’s a soldier whose job is done when the mission is over,” Mirghani told AFP.

“This could happen with this war.”

Guardian

President Joe Biden of the United States said he looks forward to continuing to work with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to support economic growth, advance security, and promote respect for human rights in Nigeria.

Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on Monday by the country’s Chief Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola, at Eagles Square in Abuja.

In a congratulatory message to Tinubu, Biden stated that Nigeria’s success is the world’s success as Africa’s largest democracy and economic nation.

“On behalf of the people of the United States, I send warm wishes to the government and people of Nigeria as they inaugurate a new president,” Biden said

“My administration has worked to strengthen ties between the United States and Nigeria, and I look forward to continuing this work with President Tinubu to support economic growth, advance security, and promote respect for human rights.”

Biden added that the people-to-people connections between the two countries are particularly strong because of the vibrant Nigerian diaspora in the United States.

“As we further deepen our partnership with Nigeria, I look forward to drawing even more on the ideas and energy of this dynamic connection between our countries,” he said.

He also noted that the United States will continue to work closely with Nigeria as a friend and partner to deliver a more peaceful and prosperous future for the world.

“Elected leaders owe it to their people to show that democracy can deliver for their needs,” he added.

Guardian