Afrique de l’Ouest : inquiétudes sur les droits humains face aux lois anti-LGBT+
Several West African countries have adopted or strengthened legislation in recent months criminalizing homosexual relations and their "promotion", placing the region in a trend of widespread legal hardening towards LGBT+ people.
Since 2023, a series of repressive laws have been adopted in sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda led the way with one of the strictest laws in the world, providing for the death penalty in certain cases for "aggravated homosexuality," although it has not been enforced.
In West Africa, the movement accelerated in 2025 and 2026. Burkina Faso introduced prison sentences of up to five years for homosexual acts. Niger, for its part, criminalized homosexuality in its penal code, with sentences of up to twenty years in some cases.
In Senegal, sentences have been doubled, reaching up to ten years in prison, leading to arrests and convictions since the beginning of the year. In Ghana, a bill passed by Parliament provides for up to five years in prison for homosexual relations and additional penalties for "promoting" them; it is pending ratification.
These developments are taking place within a context of political and social hardening, where more than half of the 54 African states already criminalize homosexuality. They are often justified by arguments of cultural sovereignty, religious conservatism, or rejection of Western influences.
A parliamentary conference held in Accra in June 2026 also encouraged several African elected officials to propose new restrictive legislation, reinforcing a coordinated regional dynamic.
Human rights organizations are warning of a resurgence in arrests and of the health risks linked to the increased marginalization of LGBT+ people, particularly in terms of access to healthcare.
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