The strict law prohibits gay marriage, but 18-year-old Faruk Maiduguri told reporters that he and his friends were only celebrating his birthday.

Observers called the move by Ugandan President Museveni to overturn anti-gay legislation ‘a wily piece of realpolitik’ amid donor aid cuts.

SA has won a moral and diplomatic victory at the UN, defending the protection of sexual minorities while preventing a walkout of other African states.

Uganda on Friday shelved an anti-gay Bill that would have brought in the death penalty for certain homosexual acts after the US slammed it.