Burkina Faso’s military junta has introduced a ban on homosexual acts, marking a significant shift despite the absence of previous legal restrictions on same-sex relations in the socially conservative West African nation.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala announced that the junta’s cabinet has approved legislation to criminalize homosexuality, although specifics were not disclosed.
Since seizing power in 2022, Burkina Faso’s military has increasingly aligned with Russia, reducing ties with its former colonial power, France. Russia itself has tightened restrictions on LGBTQ rights, including laws against promoting “non-traditional sexual relations.”
The new legislation, which awaits approval by the military-controlled parliament and junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, recognizes only religious and customary marriages. “Homosexuality and related practices will now be subject to legal penalties,” Bayala stated, as reported by AFP.
Capt Traoré assumed power after overthrowing Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba in 2022, citing failures in combating an ongoing Islamist insurgency since 2015.
Previously, Burkina Faso was one of 22 African nations where same-sex relations were not criminalized, unlike in many former British colonies which inherited anti-homosexuality laws post-independence from France in 1960.
With Muslims comprising 64% and Christians 26% of the population, Burkina Faso also includes adherents to traditional religions or those with no religious affiliation.
Across Africa, several nations have taken tougher stances against the LGBTQ community in recent years, including Uganda, which enacted stricter laws despite criticism from local rights groups and Western nations.
In a separate development, Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroon’s long-time president Paul Biya, publicly identified as a lesbian, sparking varied reactions amid the country’s prohibition on same-sex relations under her father’s rule since 1982.
