United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged African leaders to respect gay rights.

He was speaking at the two-day summit, in the African Union's new building in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Discrimination based on sexual orientation had been ignored or even sanctioned by many countries in Africa, Mr Ban told the African Union summit.

Ban Ki-moon told delegates that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity "prompted many African governments to treat people as second class citizens or even criminals". Homosexual acts are illegal in most African countries, including key Western allies such as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Botswana - a situation which has drawn increasing criticism from activists and the West. Both the US and UK have recently warned they would use foreign aid to push for homosexuality to be decriminalised on the socially conservative continent.

Ababa. Discrimination based on sexual orientation had been ignored or even sanctioned by many countries in Africa, Mr Ban told the African Union summit.

Ban Ki-moon told delegates that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity "prompted many African governments to treat people as second class citizens or even criminals". Homosexual acts are illegal in most African countries, including key Western allies such as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Botswana - a situation which has drawn increasing criticism from activists and the West. Both the US and UK have recently warned they would use foreign aid to push for homosexuality to be decriminalised on the socially conservative continent.