Burkina Faso Outlaws Homosexuality Under New Legislation

By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro

Parliament in Burkina Faso has approved a law criminalising homosexuality, imposing prison sentences of two to five years for offenders, state television reported late Monday.

The amendment to the country’s family code was unanimously passed by lawmakers, more than a year after receiving the backing of the military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

The decision places Burkina Faso among more than half of Africa’s 54 countries that uphold anti-homosexuality laws, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to capital punishment. Although condemned by international human rights groups, such measures continue to enjoy strong domestic support, where officials and many citizens frame homosexuality as a foreign influence rather than a sexual orientation.