Burkina Faso’s military-led government has passed a law outlawing homosexuality, with offenders facing prison terms of between two and five years alongside hefty fines.
The legislation, announced on state broadcaster RTB, was unanimously approved on Monday by all 71 unelected members of the transitional assembly. The body has been in place since the army seized power in 2022, following two successive coups that ultimately elevated Captain Ibrahim Traoré to the presidency.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala confirmed the move, declaring: “If a person is a perpetrator of homosexual or similar practices, all the bizarre behaviour, they will go before the judge.” He added that foreign nationals convicted under the law would be deported.
Officials say the ban, which takes effect immediately, forms part of a wider reform of family and citizenship legislation. Authorities insist the measures will be rolled out alongside an “awareness campaign” to embed the new rules.
The legislation makes Burkina Faso one of more than 30 African nations criminalising homosexuality. It marks a significant shift for the landlocked West African state, where same-sex relations were not previously illegal.
The move comes amid a wider continental trend. Uganda’s parliament last year adopted one of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world, including the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality”, while Ghana has advanced bills tightening restrictions on LGBT+ rights.
Rights groups are expected to fiercely criticise Burkina Faso’s decision, warning of further erosion of civil liberties under the junta. Since the military took charge, the regime has pledged to restore stability and confront an escalating Islamist insurgency. But critics accuse it of trampling human rights, arresting opponents en masse, and conscripting young men into military service.
With Monday’s vote, the ruling junta now extends its reach into the private lives of citizens. For many, it will be seen as yet another sign that human rights are sliding backwards in a country already struggling with insecurity and political upheaval.
Burkina Faso, once considered relatively tolerant on social issues compared to some of its neighbours, has now aligned itself with the continent’s most hardline regimes on LGBT+ rights.
