entry visa issued by the Egyptian consular office in Sudan, and introduced the additional entry requirement of security clearance for boys and men aged between 16 and 50. In Niger, around 9,000 refugees and migrants who had been deported by the Algerian authorities arrived at the border village of Assamaka between January and April. In Malawi, police arrested hundreds of refugees from their homes and businesses in the capital, relocating them to the Dzaleka refugee camp. Governments must honour their obligations to provide protection to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, including by respecting the right to claim asylum and to nonrefoulement. DISCRIMINATION WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ RIGHTS The devastating effects of female genital mutilation were illustrated when a two-year-old girl died after being subjected to the practice in Sierra Leone. Child, early and forced marriage persisted in the region. Nearly 29% of women aged between 20 and 24 in Zambia had been married before they were 18. The case of 16-year-old Nazira who ended her life to escape a forced marriage shone a spotlight on the harm caused by early marriage in Niger. There were several positive legislative developments. The DRC enacted a law criminalizing gender-based intimidation and stigmatization. In Sierra Leone, a new law required that 30% of seats in public office be held by women. In South Africa, a bill intended to establish a body to oversee the implementation of a strategic plan on gender-based violence was released for public comment. LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS Some countries took anti-gay legislative steps. In Uganda a new law introducing the death penalty for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality” was followed by reports of increased violence against LGBTI people. In Kenya, an MP proposed a bill that could further criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. In Ghana, parliament approved an anti-gay bill. In Eswatini, the government flouted a court ruling when it refused to register an LGBTI organization. The arrest and detention of LGBTI people was common. In Burundi, 24 people were arrested in February in Gitega at a workshop on economic inclusion. They, and two others later added to the case, were prosecuted on charges of “homosexuality” and “incitement to debauchery”. Seven were found guilty in August and nine of those acquitted were not immediately released, one of whom died in custody. In Nigeria, 69 men faced criminal trial for organizing a gay wedding in Delta state while another group of 59 men and 17 women were arrested in Gombe state for allegedly holding a “gay” birthday party. Anti-gay rhetoric increased in Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. In Botswana and Malawi, hundreds of protesters, backed by religious groups and government officials, demonstrated against the decriminalization of consensual same-sex sexual relations. In Cameroon, authorities threatened to suspend media outlets if they broadcast “programmes promoting homosexual practices”. In Ethiopia, an on- and offline campaign against LGBTI people was launched by social media influencers, religious leaders and popular artists. In Tanzania, the education minister banned books that include LGBTI content from schools. On a positive note, Namibia’s supreme court ruled that spouses of Namibian citizens could regularize their immigration status based on same-sex marriages concluded outside the country; and Kenya’s supreme court affirmed the right to freedom of association for LGBTI people. 30 The State of the World’s Human Rights