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Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has passed a law criminalising homosexual acts, marking a major shift in the country’s legal stance on same-sex relations.
The bill, unanimously approved on Monday, imposes prison terms of two to five years and fines. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said foreign nationals convicted under the law would also be deported. The legislation now awaits the signature of military leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in 2022.
Until now, Burkina Faso was one of only 22 African nations where same-sex relations were legal. Unlike many of Britain’s former colonies, it did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws after independence from France in 1960.
The move aligns Burkina Faso with neighbouring Mali, which criminalised homosexuality last year, and follows a wider regional crackdown. Across Africa, penalties for same-sex relations range from imprisonment to, in some countries, the death penalty.
International bodies have raised concerns over such measures. The World Bank briefly froze loans to Uganda in response to its 2023 law, which imposed life sentences for same-sex acts and introduced the death penalty for what it called “aggravated homosexuality.” Ghana and Nigeria have also introduced similar legislation in recent years.
Burkina Faso remains a socially conservative and deeply religious society, with fewer than 10% of citizens identifying as non-religious.
