Burkina Faso’s transitional government has passed a law criminalising homosexuality, prescribing prison terms of two to five years along with fines for those found guilty, according to the state broadcaster.
On Monday, the transitional government of Burkina Faso, made up of 71 unelected members, unanimously approved the new law. The body has been in place since the military, led by current President Ibrahim Traore, took control following two coups in 2022.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, speaking on the state broadcaster RTB, confirmed the passage of the law and stated that offenders would not only face jail terms but also be required to pay fines.
“If a person is a perpetrator of homosexual or similar practices, all the bizarre behaviour, they will go before the judge,” he said, adding that foreign nationals would be deported under the law.
Officials said the law would take immediate effect as part of broader reforms to family and citizenship legislation in Burkina Faso, and it will be promoted nationwide through a public awareness campaign.
Human Rights Concerns Over New Law
According to Aljazeerah, there is likelihood of “human rights groups calling out the restrictions on the new legislation and limits imposed on legal recourse in nationality cases.”
Since the military took power in 2022, soldiers have said they plan to stabilise the country amid a worsening security crisis and provide better governance.
The report states that rights groups have accused the military government of cracking down on human rights with large-scale arrests and military conscription of critics.
African Countries’ War on Homosexuality
Burkina Faso becomes the latest African country to ban homosexuality, joining more than half of African countries that penalise the sexual orientation with either prison sentences or the death penalty.
Mali, a close ally and neighbouring country to Burkina Faso, introduced its own legislation criminalising homosexuality in November 2024.
Elsewhere on the continent, Ghana and Uganda have also tightened their anti-homosexuality laws in recent years, moves that have drawn widespread criticism from rights groups and the international community.
In Uganda, lawmakers went as far as passing a measure that designates “aggravated homosexuality” as a capital offence, while also imposing life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relationships.
