Burkina Faso has passed a new law criminalising homosexuality, reversing its long-standing legal stance on same-sex relationships and aligning with a growing wave of anti-LGBT measures across West Africa.
According to the BBC, the transitional parliament—an unelected body—approved the legislation on Monday, building on a draft family code adopted by the cabinet last year.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, speaking on state media, said offenders risk prison sentences of between two and five years as well as fines. He added that foreign nationals convicted under the law would also be deported.
The bill now awaits the assent of military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in 2022 after deposing Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba. His signature would make the law effective.
Until now, Burkina Faso had stood out as one of the few African countries where same-sex relationships were legal. Unlike many former British colonies, the country did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws from its former colonial ruler, France. However, the nation’s strong religious and conservative social values have increasingly influenced policymaking.
The development mirrors recent moves in the region: Mali criminalised homosexuality in 2024 under military rule; Nigeria already enforces strict bans; Ghana’s parliament passed a similar bill that remains unsigned; while Uganda has gone further, imposing life sentences for consensual same-sex acts and the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality.”
International bodies have consistently condemned such laws. The World Bank, for instance, suspended loans to Uganda after its controversial legislation, though the sanctions were later lifted.
BBC