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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Culture & Society

West African nations intensify anti-LGBTQ+ laws, campaigners warn

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • West African nations are increasingly enacting or strengthening anti-LGBTQ+ laws, influenced by local politics and global trends.
  • Senegal, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have recently introduced or increased penalties for same-sex relations, with military juntas ruling three of these countries.
  • Activists cite political opportunism, religious campaigns, and a desire to assert sovereignty against Western influence as driving forces behind these laws, which have already had a devastating impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

A growing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is sweeping across West Africa, as countries implement or toughen laws targeting the community amidst rising local political pressures and a global conservative pushback.

In March, Senegal escalated penalties, doubling the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to 10 years and criminalizing the "promotion" of homosexuality. Niger outlawed same-sex intimacy in February, a first for the country. Mali and Burkina Faso, both neighbors of Niger, have also criminalized same-sex relations for the first time within the past two years. Notably, all three nations are currently under military junta rule.

What I see in all of them is a political opportunism.

— Anthony OluochCommenting on the motivations behind the increasing anti-LGBTQ+ laws in West Africa.

Ghana, which already prohibits gay sex, recently passed a bill that criminalizes LGBTQ+ "activities." While awaiting the president's signature, this legislation represents the latest version of a bill first proposed in 2021. Activists observe a pattern of "political opportunism" driving these measures.

Underneath that all, there’s a lot of transnational reinforcement.

— Anthony OluochSuggesting a coordinated, international influence on the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Anthony Oluoch of Pan Africa ILGA notes that some laws are supported by religious groups advocating for "family values," while in Burkina Faso, a predominantly Muslim nation, the legislation is framed as a defense of sovereignty against Western influence. "Underneath that all, there’s a lot of transnational reinforcement," Oluoch added, suggesting a coordinated effort.

An activist from Burkina Faso, speaking anonymously for security reasons, stated that LGBTQ+ individuals are "the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power." The impact has been severe, with reports of 13 transgender women detained without trial and subjected to beatings. Police are reportedly entrapping LGBTQ+ individuals on social media, demanding they betray others in the community. The activist fled the country after being identified by an arrested individual.

LGBTQ+ people “are the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power”.

— activist in Burkina FasoExplaining the political strategy behind targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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