Burkina Faso’s military junta has announced a ban on homosexual acts, marking it as the latest African nation to impose such restrictions despite opposition from Western powers.
Previously, homosexuality was disapproved of in the socially conservative West African country but was not illegal.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala stated that the junta’s cabinet had approved legislation making homosexual acts a punishable offense, though he did not provide specifics.
The military took control of Burkina Faso in 2022 and has since leaned towards Russia, reducing its ties with former colonial power France.
While Russia decriminalized homosexual acts in 1993, President Vladimir Putin’s administration has increasingly cracked down on the LGBTQ community, including banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.”
Burkina Faso’s move to criminalize homosexual relations is part of a broader overhaul of marriage laws.
The new legislation, which still requires approval from the military-controlled parliament and junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, only recognizes religious and customary marriages.
Bayala was quoted by AFP news agency as saying, “Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law.”
Capt. Traoré took power in September 2022 after overthrowing Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba, accusing him of failing to address an Islamist insurgency that has plagued Burkina Faso since 2015.
Before this, Burkina Faso was among 22 out of 54 African nations where same-sex relations were not criminalized.
Unlike many former British colonies, it did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws upon gaining independence from France in 1960.
Muslims constitute around 64% of Burkina Faso’s population, Christians 26%, and the remaining 10% follow traditional religions or have no faith.
In recent years, numerous African countries have intensified their stance against the LGBTQ community.
Uganda is one such country, having recently enacted legislation to further suppress the community, despite strong opposition from local rights groups and Western nations.
In May, its Constitutional Court upheld a severe anti-gay law permitting the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which includes having gay sex with a minor or when someone is infected with a lifelong illness like HIV. Activists plan to appeal the ruling.
The World Bank has halted new loans to President Yoweri Museveni’s government, and the US has ceased giving Ugandan goods preferential market access due to this legislation.
Museveni defended the law as preserving traditional family values and asserted that Uganda would not succumb to Western pressures.
In a related incident, Brenda Biya, the daughter of Cameroon’s president, came out as a lesbian last week, eliciting mixed reactions.
Living abroad, she expressed hope that her revelation would help change Cameroon’s law banning same-sex relations. Her father, Paul Biya, has ruled Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982.
In Ghana, parliament passed a stringent bill in February imposing up to three years in prison for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+.
However, President Nana Akufo-Addo has not signed it into law, citing the need to wait for a court ruling on its constitutionality.
The finance ministry warned that if the bill became law, Ghana could lose $3.8 billion in World Bank funding over the next five to six years. Ghana is experiencing a severe economic crisis and received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year.
Source-BBC
