Kais Said : The President of Tunisia denounces the "colonial" discourse of the West and calls for an African summit to solve the immigration problem

Tunisia - Tunisian President Kais Said criticized the “colonial” discourse of the West, and called for an African-African summit to solve the problem of irregular migration .

During his meeting, on Monday, with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar, Saeed stressed “the sovereignty of the Tunisian state, and the necessity of equal interaction in particular, noting that” some pens in the recent period are still shaking their owners with nostalgia for the speeches of Jules Ferry (one of the most prominent theorists of French colonialism).

Saied also affirmed, "Tunisia's adherence to its strategic relations with European countries and with the European Union within the framework of common interest."

He recalled the initiative he had presented regarding “organizing a summit that brings together the countries of North Africa, the countries of southern Sahel and Sahara, and the countries of the northern Mediterranean to address the causes of migration that can only be described as inhuman,” noting that “traditional security solutions have proven their limitations and limitations, in addition to being based on Addressing the results and effects, not eliminating the causes of irregular migration,” according to the presidential statement.

The Tunisian president's call comes with the announcement of British reports today, Monday, of a visit by British Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick to North Africa (Tunisia and Algeria) to discuss cooperation plans in the field of combating human smuggling gangs.

The aim of these plans is to prevent the arrival of irregular migrants to Europe and from there to Britain across the English Channel. The Times reported that the Italian government expects more than 400,000 migrants to reach Europe via Italian territory this summer.

Britain intends to involve officers from the National Agency for Combating Crime to exchange information and experiences with their counterparts in North Africa in this field.

Tunisia is considered a major transit area in the Mediterranean basin for irregular migrants to Europe through the nearby Italian territories.

More than 24,000 immigrants have arrived in Italy from the Tunisian coast since the beginning of this year until May 2.

Libya : After hours of clashes, calm returns to Tripoli and the security situation is stable

After a night of fierce clashes, calm returned today, Monday, to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and traffic in all streets returned to normal.

Calm returned to the south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Monday, after limited clashes on Sunday evening between two security forces, one affiliated to the National Unity Government and the other to the Presidential Council.

The streets of Al-Jaraba and Ras Hassan, in the center of the capital, witnessed clashes for hours between the deterrence apparatus for combating crime and terrorism, which is headed by Abdul Raouf Kara, who follows the Presidential Council, and Brigade 444, which is headed by Mahmoud Hamza of the Government of National Unity.

The armed clashes resulted in the injury of one person, according to a statement by the government's emergency and ambulance service.

For its part, the Tripoli Security Directorate said in a statement that "all roads are open and traffic has returned to normal, especially Ain Zara Road, University Road, Jaraba Street, Ras Hassan area, and Salah al-Din Road in the capital," without detailing the cause of the confrontations or the damage they left behind.

Later, the Minister of the Interior of the Government of National Unity, Imad Trabelsi, said that "the security and police directorate forces dealt with the security tension in the capital, Tripoli," stressing "the stability of the security situation."

Trabelsi indicated, in a statement issued by the government-affiliated government platform, "the ministry's unwillingness to deal forcefully to resolve the conflict," stressing, "The head of the national unity government, Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, has followed up on the security situation since Sunday afternoon."

Trabelsi stressed "the police's readiness to deal with any security tension," according to the statement.

In recent days, demonstrations have taken place in areas in Tripoli against "the presence of armed formations in residential neighborhoods, and some of them carrying out criminal operations," according to data published by the protesters.

Mauritania: the ruling party President Mohamed Ould Cheikh EL Ghazouani wins the legislative elections

The legislative elections have delivered their verdict in Mauritania. And the ruling party is rubbing its hands with an overwhelming majority. El Insafe is credited with 107 seats out of the 176 in the National Assembly. 

 President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani's party won 27 seats out of the 36 at stake in the second round of legislative elections. His allies will have 42 deputies.

The opposition is content with 27 seats. At 24 in the first round she got 3 in the 2nd round.

Gender parity is not yet there. The new legislature in Mauritania will have 24.2% women.

Opposition parties and some majority forces challenged the regularity of the ballot and demanded a new vote.

The results published by the Electoral Commission must still be validated by the judicial authorities in the event of an appeal.

Uganda: anti-LGBT+ law enacted , same sex relations

News of the enactment of a new law providing for harsh penalties for same-sex relations and the "promotion" of homosexuality in Uganda sparked outrage and concern among human rights and health organizations on Monday. 

The Ugandan presidency announced that the head of state, Yoweri Museveni, had "approved" the text which "now becomes the anti-homosexuality law 2023".

The news reignited fears sparked in March by the bill's initial vote, which the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Türk, described at the time as "discriminatory text -- probably the worst in the world of its kind".

The OHCHR said on Monday it was "appalled" to see this "draconian and discriminatory" bill come into force, "contrary to the Constitution and international treaties", which opens the way to "systematic violations of the rights of LGBT people ".

The deputy director for Africa of the NGO Human Rights Watch, Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, denounced a "discriminatory law" and "a step in the wrong direction" in a statement.

The text had been amended at the margin by the parliamentarians, at the request of President Museveni. The elected officials had notably specified that being homosexual was not a crime but that only sexual relations between people of the same sex were.

In this East African country where homosexuality is illegal, "acts of homosexuality" are punishable by life imprisonment since a law dating from British colonization.

But parliamentarians maintained a provision making "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offence, meaning that repeat offenders could be sentenced to death. In Uganda, the death penalty has not been applied for years.

"Hinder"

A provision on the "promotion" of homosexuality worries gay rights organizations.

According to the text, anyone -- individual or organization -- "knowingly promotes homosexuality" faces up to 20 years in prison. If it is an organization, it risks a ten-year ban.

"We feel so, so, so worried. This law is going to do a lot of harm to the LGBTQ community in Uganda," the executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a gay rights organization whose activities have been reported to AFP, told AFP. were suspended by the authorities last year.

He says he fears "popular justice and mass arrests" and plans, with other organizations, to challenge it in court.

This law also raises concern among humanitarian organizations.

"Uganda's progress in its response to HIV is now seriously compromised," three humanitarian organizations, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the US humanitarian agency USAID, said in a statement.

The text "will hinder health education and awareness that can help end AIDS as a public health threat," they warn.

"Stand firm"

A Ugandan MP who initiated the text said on Monday that he expected sanctions from Western countries. "They are going to cut aid to Uganda," Asuman Basalirwa told the press, believing that new "development partners" had to be found, particularly in the Arab world.

The President of Parliament, Anita Among, welcomed the promulgation of the text by Mr. Museveni, who himself describes homosexuality as "deviance".

"As the Parliament of Uganda, we have heeded the concerns of our people and legislated to protect the sanctity of the family, We have stood firm in defending the culture, values ​​and aspirations of our people," she said in a statement.

This law enjoys broad popular support and opposition reactions have been rare in this country ruled with an iron fist since 1986 by Yoweri Museveni.

Homophobia is widespread in Uganda, as in the rest of East Africa.

While there have been no recent prosecutions for homosexual acts, harassment and intimidation are the daily life of homosexuals in Uganda, where an evangelical Christianity has developed that is vehement towards the LGBT+ movement.