Senegal Toughens Anti-LGBTQ+ Law: Increased Repression and Profound Repercussions

Senegal - Ekhbary News Agency

Senegal Toughens Anti-LGBTQ+ Law: Increased Repression and Profound Repercussions

Senegal is grappling with a wave of societal and legal concerns following the recent adoption of legislation that significantly strengthens sanctions against homosexual acts. This new law, passed by the National Assembly, doubles prison sentences for homosexual relations, increasing them from five to ten years, and also introduces penal provisions targeting the promotion and financing of homosexuality. This legislative escalation comes in a climate of heightened tensions and regular homophobic mobilizations, exacerbating the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ individuals across the country.

The daily reality for many Senegalese has become unbearable. Poignant testimonies illustrate the urgency of the situation. Ousmane (a borrowed name), a man in his thirties, told Le Monde Afrique that he fled his home on February 20, forced to live in hiding after his sexual orientation was discovered by his neighbors. "I am petrified," he confided, "If the information circulates, I risk being beaten and arrested, or arrested and then beaten. I see no other solution than to leave the country as soon as I can." His story is not isolated; it is emblematic of an explosion of hostility, denunciations, racketeering, and assaults targeting homosexual individuals or those suspected of being so, as also noted by Le Monde Afrique.

The new law, reported by Seneweb, does not merely stiffen penalties; it also aims to regulate denunciations. It provides for punishing anyone who engages in an "abusive denunciation made in bad faith" against alleged homosexuals. This clause is intended to limit abuses, but its effectiveness remains to be proven in an environment where suspicion and fear are omnipresent. Paradoxically, the ultra-minority parliamentary opposition voted against the text, not out of concern for LGBTQ+ rights, but because they considered the law insufficiently repressive, even calling for a more explicit criminalization of homosexuality.

According to an analysis by Jeune Afrique, this legislative toughening is part of a dual dynamic. On the one hand, it is strongly imbued with sovereignism, an ideological current dear to the ruling party, the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef). Faced with a West often perceived as too permissive or "depraved," this law is presented as an affirmation of traditional Senegalese values, deeply rooted in Islam and Catholicism. The Penal Code, without ever explicitly pronouncing the word "homosexuality," represses "acts against nature," a formulation that, according to the bill, includes "sexual acts between persons of the same sex," but also "sexual acts with a corpse" and "sexual acts with an animal." This association places homosexuality alongside necrophilia and zoophilia, reinforcing an already heavy stigma.

The other crucial aspect, also according to Jeune Afrique, is historical. The idea that this legislation represents a purely African identity surge is questioned by a "legal archaeology." Article 319 of the Senegalese Penal Code, in its current formulation and its revision, is based on a concept of "act against nature" forged in France a very long time ago. This notion, which disappeared during the French Revolution and reappeared under the Pétain regime, fell into disuse in France nearly five decades ago. It is therefore argued that it was not homosexuality that was imported from the West, but its criminalization, a historical nuance often ignored in public discourse.

Senegal is not an isolated case on the African continent. The trend towards the criminalization of LGBTQ+ individuals has intensified in recent years. Uganda enacted a law including the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality." Mali under Assimi Goïta criminalized homosexuality in November 2024, a first for a country where the law had not previously mentioned it. Burkina Faso under Ibrahim Traoré followed in September 2025 with a text providing for two to five years in prison. In Ghana, where American evangelists are very present, a bill providing for up to ten years in prison for "promotion of LGBT rights" is being reintroduced. However, a few countries have taken the opposite path, offering a glimmer of hope: Mauritius decriminalized homosexuality in 2023, and Namibia in 2024. These progressive legislations, however, remain rare exceptions in an increasingly repressive continental landscape.

This legislative toughening in Senegal, with its profound human and societal implications, poses major challenges for human rights and social stability. It reflects a complex ideological battle between perceived traditions, historical colonial influences, and international pressures, while leaving thousands of citizens in fear and uncertainty about their future in their own country.

Ekhbary News Agency