World Bank suspends $90 million loan to Uganda due to anti-gay laws
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Uganda is facing backlash for its passage of a strict anti-gay law in the form of financial repercussions. The World Bank has suspended a $90 million loan to the African country meant to aid its health-care system after it signed a bill criminalizing homosexual activity into law.
"We have postponed the project for further review to ensure that the development objectives would not be adversely affected by the enactment of this new law," wrote a World Bank spokesman to Reuters. The action comes a few days after the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway said they would halt or change their aid programs to the country.
In a tweet, Uganda government spokesman Ofwono Opondo shrugged off criticism from other countries. "The West can keep their 'aid' to Uganda over homos, we shall still develop without it," he wrote.
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.