Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as ‘the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power’
A growing number of west African countries are implementing or strengthening anti-LGBTQ+ laws, amid local political pressures and a global pushback against LGBTQ+ rights.
In March, Senegal doubled the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to 10 years and criminalised the “promotion” of homosexuality. Niger criminalised “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” in February, the first time same-sex intimacy had been outlawed in the country.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/02/anti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn
Author : Rachel Savage in Johannesburg
Publish date : 2026-08-02 04:00:00
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