Burkina Faso bans homosexuality, imposes prison sentences under new law

Burkina Faso’s transitional government has formally outlawed homosexuality, passing a new law that prescribes prison sentences of two to five years for those found guilty, alongside heavy fines.

The announcement was made Monday by Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala on state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB).

The measure, part of a wider reform of the country’s family and citizenship legislation, was unanimously approved by all 71 members of the transitional parliament, a body appointed after the 2022 military coups that brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power.

“If a person is a perpetrator of homosexual or similar practices, all the bizarre behaviour, they will go before the judge,” Bayala declared, adding that foreign nationals convicted under the law would face deportation. The legislation takes effect immediately, according to officials, and will be “popularised through an awareness campaign.”

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Since seizing power in 2022, Burkina Faso’s military authorities have pledged to restore security and governance in a nation plagued by jihadist violence.

But rights organizations accuse the Traoré-led administration of eroding democratic institutions, targeting dissenters with mass arrests, and forcibly conscripting citizens into the army.

The new law places Burkina Faso among more than half of African nations that criminalize same-sex relations, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to capital punishment.

In recent years, several African governments have introduced or reinforced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, sparking international condemnation while finding broad support among conservative domestic audiences.