Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has passed a bill criminalising homosexual acts, ending its previously permissive stance on same-sex relations.
The decision comes just over a year after the cabinet adopted a draft amendment to the family code targeting homosexuality.
The legislation, unanimously approved on Monday, prescribes prison terms of between two and five years as well as fines.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, speaking on state-run media, confirmed that foreign nationals found guilty would also face deportation.
The bill now awaits the signature of Capt Ibrahim Traoré, the military leader who seized power in 2022 after deposing Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba.
Until now, Burkina Faso had been among 22 African countries where same-sex relations were not criminalised.
Unlike many former British colonies, the nation did not inherit colonial-era anti-homosexuality laws after independence from France in 1960.
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Still, it remains socially conservative, with religion playing a dominant role in society.
The development aligns Burkina Faso with a growing list of African nations hardening their stance against LGBT rights.
Neighbouring Mali, also ruled by a junta, passed similar legislation last year. Ghana’s parliament approved an anti-homosexuality bill in 2024, though it was not signed into law.
Nigeria continues to enforce strict bans, while Uganda has gone further by introducing the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality” and life sentences for consensual same-sex acts.
International bodies have responded critically to such crackdowns.
The World Bank, for instance, suspended loans to Uganda over its anti-LGBT legislation before later lifting the ban.
The latest move by Burkina Faso underscores a wider continental trend where same-sex relationships face heightened legal penalties, despite international concern over human rights implications.
Crediblenewsng.
