Burkina Faso Moves to Criminalize Homosexuality Amid Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Rights in Africa

The military dictatorship in Burkina Faso has passed a draft law making homosexuality a crime there. Same-sex partnerships would become unlawful and penalized under the proposed legislation.

Despite widespread condemnation of such policies, Burkina Faso is now the latest African country to crack down on LGBTQ+ rights. The junta asserts that the draft law is a component of a revised family code, indicating that the government wants to make discrimination against the LGBTQ+ population legally enforceable.

The passage of this proposed legislation is in line with a worrying trend in certain African countries where hard-won LGBTQ+ rights and protections are being rolled back. Misinformation campaigns erroneously claiming that international accords mandate the acceptance of same-sex couples have also been launched against countries like Nigeria, causing an upsurge in intolerance and assaults against LGBTQ+ people.

Criminalizing homosexuality goes against the values of equality and nondiscrimination and is an egregious violation of fundamental human rights. Burkina Faso’s actions should be strongly denounced by the international community, and the military junta should be put under pressure to protect the human rights of all of its inhabitants, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.