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Cameroon President’s Lesbian Daughter Seeks Review Of Anti-homosexual Laws

Published

1 year ago

July 9, 2024

The daughter of Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, Brenda Biya, has expressed hopes that her public announcement as a lesbian on June 30, would inspire a change to the country’s anti-homosexuality laws

In a heartfelt Instagram post, the 27-year-old, who splits her time between the United States and Switzerland, shared a photo of herself kissing her girlfriend.

In an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien published on Tuesday, Brenda revealed that she had not come out to her family prior to her public announcement.

“There are plenty of people in the same situation as me who suffer because of who they are,’ she said. ‘If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone, if I can send love, I am happy.”

Cameroon’s penal code punishes same-sex relations with up to five years in prison.

Despite her father’s longstanding leadership—President Paul Biya has been in power since 1982—he has not publicly commented on his daughter’s revelation.

Brenda highlighted that the anti-homosexuality law predated her father’s presidency.

She expressed hope that her openness could spark legislative changes. ‘It may be too soon for it to disappear completely but it could be less strict. We could first eliminate the prison sentence,’ she suggested.

Cameroonian LGBT rights activist Bandy Kiki, based in Britain, praised Brenda’s courage.

“She has affirmed the existence of LGBT people in Cameroon,’ Kiki said.

However, she pointed out the disparity in how anti-LGBT laws are enforced, noting that the wealthy and well-connected often avoid severe consequences, while the poor face harsh penalties.

Brenda Biya’s brave declaration shines a light on the ongoing struggles of LGBT individuals in Cameroon and raises hopes for future legislative reform and greater acceptance.

Headline

Welcome Home, Israel Confirms Return Of 20 Hostages From Gaza

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Israel said that the last 20 living hostages released by Hamas on Monday had arrived in the country.

“Welcome home,” the foreign ministry wrote in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.

AFP

Headline

20 Members Of Gang Blacklisted By US Escape Guatemala Prison

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Twenty members of a gang designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala, a prison chief said Sunday.

The members of the Barrio 18 gang “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.

He received “an intelligence report” on Friday warning about the “possible escape” from the prison, which is southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.

Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.

Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.

The US embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as “utterly unacceptable.”

“The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who has provided, provides, or decides to provide material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said on X.

It called on the Guatemalan government to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.”

According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, there are about 12,000 gang members and collaborators in Guatemala, while another 3,000 are in prison.

The country’s homicide rate has increased from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 this year, more than double the world average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.

According to the Salvadoran government, the gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, are responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 people over three decades.

The two gangs once controlled an estimated 80 percent of El Salvador, which had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Headline

South Africa Bus Crash Kills 40 Including Malawi, Zimbabwe Nationals

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

At least 40 people, including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.

The bus travelling to Zimbabwe crashed around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the border on Sunday after the driver apparently lost control, Limpopo province transport minister Violet Mathye said.

“They are still working on the scene, but 40 bodies have already been confirmed to date,” Mathye told the Newzroom Afrika channel. The dead included a 10-month-old girl, she said.

Thirty-eight people were in hospital and rescuers were searching for other victims, she told eNCA media.

The bus was travelling from the southern city of Gqeberha, around 1,500 kilometres away, and its passengers included Malawians and Zimbabweans who were working in South Africa. The crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, the minister said.

South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network with a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.

AFP