Burkina Faso’s military junta has announced the adoption of a draft amendment to the family code that criminalizes homosexuality.
Previously one of the 22 African nations out of 54 that permitted same-sex relations, Burkina Faso now joins the ranks of countries where such relations are punishable by law.
Burkina Faso has been under military rule following two coups in 2022 and is currently part of a confederation with juntas in neighboring Mali and Niger. None of these interim governments have held elections and have distanced themselves from traditional Western allies.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, the junta revealed that the draft amendment was adopted during a weekly council of ministers meeting led by interim military leader, Ibrahim Traore.
“From now on, homosexuality and related practices are prohibited and punishable by law,” interim Justice, Minister Edasso Rodrique Bayala stated in the presidency’s announcement. For the law to take effect, it must pass a parliamentary vote and then be promulgated by Traore.
The move is part of a broader trend of increasing restrictions on LGBTQ rights in Africa over the past 14 months. Uganda enacted one of the world’s strictest anti-LGBTQ laws in May last year, and Ghana intensified its repression of LGBTQ people with unanimous legislation passed in February.
Recently, Brenda Biya, the daughter of Cameroon’s president, publicly came out as a lesbian and has since advocated for the repeal of anti-homosexuality laws in her country.
