The most important in this week’s headlines out of and concerning Africa, for those who need help catching up. In the past week, a controversial vote was made in Burundi, another case of Ebola confirmed in Liberia and a victory for LGBT rights in Mozambique.
1. While the U.S. celebrates a victory for LGBTQ couples in a landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide, Mozambique made its own steps forward. A new penal code decriminalized same-sex relationships, overthrowing colonial-era laws. While the change shows movement in a positive direction, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria and Uganda, continue to support laws criminalizing LGBT relationships.
2. Liberia, which was declared Ebola-free on May 9th, confirmed its second Ebola case and sparked fear that the disease may be starting a resurgence in the country. Liberia was one of three states, including Sierra Leone and Guinea, to suffer the worst of the fall and winter 2014 outbreak.
3. Al Jazeera takes a deep look at Marikana, where women are leading the charge in a fight against the exploitation of shantytown conditions near a mine employing thousands. After years of “absolutely horrid” conditions, the women are pushing for the middle class lives they have long been promised by the World Bank.
