This African country never outlawed homosexuality… until now

The military junta ruling the West African county of Burkina Faso announced that homosexual acts will now be a punishable offense. As such, the nation is the latest in a growing number of African nations to crack down on same-sex relations.

“Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law,” Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said, according to the international news organization Agence France-Presse.

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The legislation was approved by the junta’s cabinet as part of an overhaul of marriage laws. It awaits passage by the military-controlled parliament and a signature from junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré.

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Burkina Faso had been among 22 out of 54 African states where same-sex relations were not criminalized. The one-time French colony didn’t inherit anti-homosexuality laws found in many former British colonies.

About 64% of the country’s population is Muslim, 26% is Christian, and the rest is divided among traditional religions or those who identify as having no faith.

Traoré seized power in the West African nation in 2022, and has spurned France in favor of Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has targeted the LGBTQ+ community with a series of laws dedicated to erasing LGBTQ+ identity.  

Homosexuality has long been frowned upon in Burkina Faso but never outlawed, until now.

Burkina Faso’s National Consultive Commission on Human Rights condemned the junta’s action.

“We are all equal in dignity and rights,” the group wrote in a statement. “In Burkina Faso, thousands of people suffer from prejudice and injustice every day. We must take action. Discrimination weakens our society and divides our communities. Every individual deserves to live without fear of being judged or excluded.”

Burkina Faso joins a growing list of African countries hostile to the LGBTQ+ community.

Uganda notoriously passed “Kill the Gays” legislation last year outlawing homosexual acts and making “aggravated homosexuality” — engaging in sex with a minor or infecting a partner with HIV — punishable by death.

In Ghana, parliament passed a bill in February that would impose a prison term of up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+. That law awaits a signature from President Nana Akufo-Addo.

In Nigeria, where same-sex relations are punishable by up to 14 years in prison, paramilitary forces raided a gay wedding last fall and arrested dozens of guests.

“We apprehended 76 suspected homosexuals while holding a birthday party organized by one of them who was due to wed his male bride at the event,” a Nigerian official reported.

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