- Dozens of Senegalese homosexuals are reported to have fled to the neighbouring countries [The Gambia and Mali] to escape the looming threats on their lives.
The Gambia may not be a safe hideout for homosexuals, considering President Yahya Jammeh's personal hatred of homosexuality. He had earlier threatened to crush any act of homosexuality in the country.
Since the publication of a gay wedding in the outskirts of the capital Dakar in early February, stories on homosexuality have been dominating news in Senegal. The story - backed by photographs - was first published by a local magazine, Icone.
Icone's editor has since received several threats for exposing homosexuals to "social stigma and blackmail."
The publication has flared tempers in the predominantly Muslim nation, resulting to arrest and detention of homosexuals and all those who graced the wedding, including musicians.
The detainees were unconditionally released without explanation from the police. Local media reports alleged that homosexuals were set free as soon as they threatened to name some high-ranking state officials involved in the outlawed practice in Senegal.
Senegalese authorities have been under local religious pressures to avoid tolerating homosexuality in the country, especially as the country prepares to host a major international Islamic summit on 12 March.
Led by an influential Muslim cleric and lawmaker, Imam Mbaye Niang, hundreds of people took to the streets of Dakar to protest against the government's failure to prosecute the gay suspects.
Chanting Allahu Akbar [God is great], the protesters later turned violent, burning rubbish and blockading roads close to the central mosque in Dakar.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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