Introduction   The issue of security for sexual and gender minorities in Francophone Africa is currently at the heart of discussions on HIV response programs. Many countries in West and Central Africa, such as Cameroon, have reported numerous cases of violations of people's rights based on their assumed or real sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet the Global Fund's current strategy (2023-2028) places the communities most affected and vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria at the heart of its concerns. This commitment is reflected in the field by the Global Fund's CRG (Community, rights and gender) department, which implements the program to remove barriers to achieving the goals of ending AIDS by 2030.   In addition to implementing advocacy actions aimed at creating a calming social environment for these minorities, it is becoming crucial to put in place a set of measures aimed at protecting their safety. With this in mind, the Global Alliance of Communities for Health and Rights (GATS PLUS) has facilitated the implementation of a set of protocols covering digital crises, intra-community crises, political crises, reputational crises and health crises. These protocols were recently presented in a webinar moderated by the GATS PLUS Coordinator.   The GATS PLUS is a network of organizations implementing actions to improve the overall health and rights of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) in 13 French-speaking African countries, mainly in North, West and Central Africa. Most the GATS PLUS member organizations are also recipients of Global Fund HIV grants within civil society. The design of these security protocols is one of the recommendations to emerge from the workshop held in July 2022 in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), where activists from these regions came together.       A protocol for sexual and gender minorities to address new health crises: COVID-19 and MPOX   The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of our healthcare systems, unable to respond effectively to new epidemics. These crises exacerbate pre-existing inequalities in access to healthcare for many populations. For example, the COVID-19 crisis amplified the stigma attached to MSG, often wrongly perceived in the popular imagination as "responsible" for the disease. In the U.S., studies have also shown that MSG have a significantly higher risk of being affected by MPOX (MPOX is a rare viral infectious disease caused by the Monkeypox "orthopoxvirus", a virus related to the smallpox virus).   The health crisis management protocol (access the protocol  here ) set up by the Global Alliance of Communities for Health and Rights (GATS PLUS) was inspired by the experiences of organizations faced with such crises, and provides a set of measures to be observed for the management and prevention of such crises by identity-based organizations.  This protocol may also inspire the Global Fund, which recently updated its technical document on detecting, preventing and responding to MPOX. These recommendations do not take into account the community dimension of this new epidemic, declared by the World Health Organization in July 2022 and by the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in August 2024.   What's more, the protocol stresses the urgent need to keep abreast of new health crises, strengthen the community health system with a skilled workforce, offer available services and document good practice. Some examples of good practice are included in this protocol, for example the cases of Cameroon and Uganda, where MSG activists and organizations have shown perfect community resilience to reduce the impact of COVID19 within their communities.       Digital security: A major concern for activists and organizations working alongside sexual and gender minorities   The digital space brings many advantages to people's lives, considerably reducing the boundaries between individuals and offering them a wide range of opportunities. But like all inventions, it also has its drawbacks, which are not always brought to light. Indeed, the digital space is a breeding ground for incitement to hatred against MSG. Anti-gender movements use this space to distill hatred against these populations. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, we have recently witnessed the "stop aux woubi" movement, which is in fact a call through social networks for violence against MSG. The AGCS PLUS digital security protocol (available here) outlines the most important aspects to know about the types of risks involved, how to report the perpetrators of online hate and how to prevent them. The protocol places particular emphasis on the Facebook social network, which is clearly very popular with MSG, although it is acknowledged that the TikTok social network has also been gaining ground of late. The protocol also details how to identify threats in the digital space, the importance of training partners, and crisis prevention and management methods. Finally, it includes case studies of digital crises in various countries.       Other protocols just as important for managing intra-community, political and reputational crises   The GATS PLUS has also put in place a number of other protocols to ensure the holistic safety of MSG in French-speaking Africa, the quintessence and, above all, importance of which should be recalled here.   Given the scarcity of funding allocated to the fight against HIV and discrimination, civil society organizations supporting MSG often find themselves in competition, sometimes in unhealthy and counterproductive ways. Moreover, incidents, misunderstandings and differences of opinion can sometimes divide community members. It is therefore essential to put in place mechanisms to effectively manage these crises and prevent them from being exposed in the public arena.   It is with this in mind that this protocol (access it here ) has been developed. It emphasizes the importance of building strong partnerships, identifying threats, and building community capacity for crisis prevention and management. It also addresses the provision of services and the documentation of situations.   We have also set up a protocol for managing political crises. Political crises can take the form of riots in the streets, or in extreme cases, revolts, violence or war. These crises can have a particular impact on MSG: for example, in pre-election periods in some countries, sexual and gender minorities become scapegoats for certain politicians. These crises can occur on a city or national scale. Our political crisis management protocol, available here, is designed to provide solutions.   All in all, the various protocols presented in this article add to the panoply of tools that already exist to deal with MSG safety issues. They are far from exhaustive and complete, but they do provide a basis that should be adapted to each context and crisis situation involving MSG.