Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

.

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from King of the Kingdom of Bahrain His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that His Majesty the King opened the call by expressing Bahrain’s solidarity and sincere wishes to Egypt following the earthquake that struck at dawn today, affirming that the Kingdom stands by Egypt in confronting challenges.

For his part, President El-Sisi expressed his appreciation and gratitude to His Majesty for his kind and noble sentiments towards Egypt and its people. The President also expressed Egypt’s pride, both leadership and people, in the depth and strength of the distinguished fraternal relations with Bahrain, noting the two countries’ shared vision regarding regional issues and crises, as well as their ongoing joint efforts to restore peace and stability in the region.

President El-Sisi further reaffirmed Egypt’s unwavering commitment to supporting and standing by Bahrain on all fronts, expressing Egypt’s unequivocal condemnation of the Iranian attacks on the Kingdom’s sovereignty and stability, and commending the wise Bahraini leadership’s measures to protect the Kingdom’s security and safeguard its people’s resources.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa expressed his profound appreciation for Egypt’s steadfast position in support of Bahrain and for its solidarity with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in confronting the challenges imposed by military operations in the region. His Majesty affirmed that Bahrain is exerting every possible effort to achieve peace and reach a sustainable political settlement that preserves the sovereignty of Arab states and the interests of their peoples. The King also underscored Egypt’s pivotal role at both the regional and international levels.

The two leaders discussed developments in bilateral relations, reaffirming the keenness of the two governments to further strengthen cooperation through the implementation of the outcomes of the Bahraini Crown Prince’s visit to Egypt in September 2025, as well as the activation of the outcomes of the second session of the Egyptian-Bahraini Joint Governmental Committee for Economic, Trade, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation, held in Manama in February 2025, as one of the key institutional frameworks for cooperation between the two countries.

In the same context, President El-Sisi praised the care and support extended to the Egyptian community in Bahrain, affirming Egypt’s pride in the contributions of its citizens to the development process in the sisterly Kingdom.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Source: APO

The newly appointed Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the United States of America in the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Christopher Green, paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Mr. Barry Faure, at Maison Quéau de Quinssy on Monday, 3 August 2026.

The meeting provided an opportunity for Minister Faure and Mr. Green to reaffirm the longstanding and cordial relations between the Republic of Seychelles and the United States of America. They exchanged views on a range of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Mr. Green also provided an update on the establishment of the United States Embassy in Seychelles.

The two sides also discussed consular matters of mutual interest, including issues relating to travel and visa arrangements, and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining an open and constructive dialogue on matters affecting the citizens of both countries.

Minister Faure welcomed Mr. Green to Seychelles and wished him every success in his new assignment. He also expressed appreciation to the United States for the participation of the Topside United States Navy Band in Seychelles’ Golden Jubilee Celebrations, noting that their performance was warmly received and made a valued contribution to the national celebrations.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening the longstanding partnership and cooperation between Seychelles and the United States of America.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Republic of Seychelles.

Source: APO

Across Africa, rural women face a double disadvantage as the urban-rural divide compounds gender gaps in education, employment, asset ownership, and access to financial and digital resources, the latest Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) Pan-Africa Profile (https://apo-opa.co/4fK8G9x) shows.

The new report, based on 50,961 interviews across 38 African countries in 2024/2025, shows that women are less likely than men to attain secondary or post-secondary education and to have paid employment. They are also less likely than men to own key productive, financial, and digital assets, including vehicles, bank accounts, mobile-money accounts, mobile phones, and computers. The findings further show that women are less likely than men to report making their own decisions about the use of financial resources.

In addition to these gender gaps, rural women trail urban women by even wider margins on these indicators. In fact, when it comes to access to digital and financial resources, the gaps between urban women and urban men are sometimes dwarfed by those that separate urban and rural women.

The findings point to a notable exception: Rural women report higher levels of participation than urban women in several key types of political engagement, including voting and political party affiliation, suggesting opportunities to strengthen women’s voice and representation in rural communities.

Key findings

On educational attainment and access:

• Across 38 African countries, women trail men in educational attainment: 54% of women have secondary or post-secondary education, compared to 62% of men (Figure 1).
  • Rural women are more than twice as likely as urban women to have no formal education (26% vs. 12%), and only about half as likely to have secondary or post-secondary qualifications (39% vs. 66%).

In the workplace:

• Working-age women are less likely than men to have paid employment (25% vs. 39%) (Figure 2).
  • Rural women lag behind urban women in paid employment (19% vs. 30%), with country-level gaps reaching up to 34 percentage points in Eswatini.

In access to key assets and management of financial resources:

• Women are less likely than men to own key assets, including vehicles (16% vs. 35%), financial assets such as bank accounts (33% vs. 43%) and mobile-money accounts (56% vs. 64%), and digital tools such as mobile phones (82% vs. 89%) and computers (16% vs. 22%) (Figure 3).
  • Gaps between urban and rural women are often even wider, including a 17-percentage-point disadvantage in phone ownership by rural women (73% vs. 90%). Rural women are half as likely to have a bank account (21% vs. 42%) and less than one-third as likely to own a computer (7% vs. 24%) (Figure 4).
• Women (36%) are less likely than men (44%) to say they make their own decisions about how to use their financial resources (Figure 5).
  • They are about twice as likely to say that their spouses decide (10% vs. 6%).
  • In most surveyed countries, rural women have weaker voices in financial decision making than their urban sisters: On average, they are 11 percentage points less likely to say they make these decisions themselves (Figure 6).

In politics:

• Women participate in political activities at lower rates than men. But in several types of engagement, including voting and affiliation with political parties, rural women outpace their urban sisters (Figure 7).

Afrobarometer surveys

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Ten survey rounds in up to 45 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 surveys (2024/2025) cover 38 countries.

Afrobarometer’s National Partners conduct face-to-face interviews with nationally representative samples of adults in the language of the respondent’s choice that yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more on the sampling methodology, click here (https://apo-opa.co/4xlUcnG).

[1] Here and in all other comparisons of urban and rural women, Seychelles is excluded because the government does not include any urban-rural distinction in its census data.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer.

For more information, please contact:
Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny
Director of communications
Email: jappiah@afrobarometer.org
Telephone: +233243240933
Visit us online at www.Afrobarometer.org

Social Media:
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
Whatsapp
Bluesky

Follow our releases on #VoicesAfrica
 

Source: APO

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Mr Barry Faure received the High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of Malta to the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Dr Omar Seguna at Maison Quéau de Quinssy on Monday, 03 August 2026.

High Commissioner-designate Seguna noted the cordial relations between Seychelles and Malta and recalled the official visit of the Honourable Dr. Ian Borg, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Malta in 2023. During the visit, two Memoranda of Understanding in the field of health were signed and a Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was established. Minister Faure expressed the Government’s wish to reinvigorate relations in health and to explore more sectors in which the two countries can further collaborate.

The Minister shared the Government’s interest in exploring cooperation in the fields of vocational training, digitalisation and renewable energy, fields in which Malta has considerable experience. He also thanked Malta for their assistance in providing capacity building for government officials, especially in the field of diplomacy, adding that several diplomats have benefitted from training opportunities in Malta in the past.

Tourism, maritime affairs, cooperation in the multilateral fora and the Blue Economy were also discussed.

High Commissioner-designate Seguna will present his credentials to President Herminie on Tuesday 04 August 2026.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Republic of Seychelles.

Source: APO

H.E. Mr. Carlos Federico Feo Acevedo, Ambassador-designate of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Republic of Seychelles, paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Mr. Barry Faure, on Monday, 3 August 2026, as part of his accreditation visit.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the two dignitaries to reaffirm the longstanding diplomatic relations and bonds of friendship between Seychelles and Venezuela. In this context, they acknowledged the solidarity demonstrated by the Government of Seychelles following the earthquakes that affected the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in June this year.

Discussions also focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation. The two sides reviewed progress towards the conclusion of a Visa Waiver Agreement and explored opportunities to enhance collaboration in areas of mutual interest, including the Blue Economy, fisheries, climate change, energy, tourism, and education. They underscored the value of fostering cooperation through capacity-building initiatives, technical exchanges, and the sharing of knowledge and best practices.

The meeting further highlighted the shared commitment of Seychelles and Venezuela to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both countries have integrated the SDGs into their national development strategies, with particular emphasis on ocean governance, sustainable tourism, renewable energy, and inclusive economic growth.

H.E. Mr. Feo Acevedo, who will become the third Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela accredited to the Republic of Seychelles, will be resident in Pretoria, South Africa.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Republic of Seychelles established diplomatic relations on 15 April 1991.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Republic of Seychelles.

Source: APO

.

Ugandan migrant workers who sought greener pastures abroad are now living in severe distress as a result of labour externalisation pressures.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Vincent bagiire said that labour externalisation pressure has driven up consular distress cases, repatriation and welfare demands, especially in the Gulf region.

“On a weekly basis, we receive communications from Saudi Arabia about Ugandans in distress. Some of them are in prison, others are physically and mentally ill and require urgent attention,” Bagiire said.

Bagiire, who, along with his technical staff, on Monday, 03 August 2026, appeared before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Hon. Grace Kwiyucwiny, called for an intensified sensitisation campaign to curb the surge in human trafficking cases.

This followed concerns by the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Representative, Hon. Robert Ssewagudde who asked for the ministry’s interventions to save Ugandan migrant workers from victimisation and distress. 

“It is true we have done some sensitisation, but I must add that it is inadequate. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is the one responsible for the implementation of the anti-human trafficking law, and they have the duty and responsibility to do massive sensitisation to ensure Ugandans do not fall prey to these so-called lucrative opportunities, yet it is human trafficking,” Bagiire responded.

In Uganda, labour externalisation, which earns the country about US$2 billion in remittances is regulated by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, which is charged with the responsibility of licensing labour export companies.

Bagiire said despite this, it is the Foreign Affairs Ministry that suffers the burden of repatriation of Ugandans facing harsh and exploitative working conditions and human trafficking, among others. 

“There are some Ugandans who are arrested in Iraq. We reached out to the authorities and they are positive to release them. The challenge is the absence of resources to return them, as you know there is no allocation to repatriate them,” Bagiire said.

He added that , the curative measure is to sensitise Ugandans against travelling, especially to war-torn countries. 

“It has been very challenging for us; recently, we repatriated hundreds of Ugandans from Myanmar. The Ethiopian Airways plane that returned 43 Ugandans also carried about 20 going to the same destination [Myanmar], he said adding that, ‘the most unfortunate thing is that it is Ugandans who are trafficking fellow Ugandans; some of them are known and have been arrested, but we shall intensify our campaign to stop these Ugandans from travelling’.

Members of Parliament appealed to government to prioritise safeguarding and protecting its national interests by minding the welfare of the citizens working abroad.

“One of the biggest challenges of Ugandans working abroad is their continued incarceration. We can’t continue reading the book of lamentation, we must be deliberate to protect our citizens because when you travel abroad, ambassadors are crying foul,” Hon. Gabriel Okumu (NRM, Okoro County) said. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.