{"id":2934,"date":"2026-08-02T05:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T05:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/08\/02\/anti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T05:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T05:40:20","slug":"anti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2934","title":{"rendered":"Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are on the rise across west Africa, campaigners warn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"d2c63899-e3ed-45f9-bc2c-e593bf8be382\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Two activists from the LGBTQ+ community hold hands following a court hearing in Kenya \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/725aee047802b1eb39e000a019d0566950c75641\/742_425_2422_1938\/master\/2422.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.07679603633363\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">African leaders who are toughening anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been accused of \u2018political opportunism\u2019 by campaigners.<\/span> Photograph: Ben Curtis\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"d2c63899-e3ed-45f9-bc2c-e593bf8be382\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">African leaders who are toughening anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been accused of \u2018political opportunism\u2019 by campaigners.<\/span> Photograph: Ben Curtis\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are on the rise across west Africa, campaigners warn<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as \u2018the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In March, Senegal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/apr\/07\/senegal-harsh-anti-gay-law-hiv-progress\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">doubled the maximum prison sentence<\/a> for gay sex to 10 years and criminalised the \u201cpromotion\u201d of homosexuality. Niger criminalised <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jul\/01\/witch-hunt-in-niger-as-military-regime-rounds-up-lgbtq-population\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">\u201csexual relations with a person of the same sex\u201d<\/a> in February, the first time same-sex intimacy had been outlawed in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.humandignitytrust.org\/news\/mali-criminalises\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Mali<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2025\/sep\/06\/anti-gay-law-african-jail-term-five-years-promoting-homosexuality-burkina-faso\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Burkina Faso<\/a>, which neighbours Niger, also criminalised same-sex relations for the first time in the last two years. All three are ruled by military juntas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In June, Ghana, which already outlaws gay sex, passed a law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/jun\/01\/ghana-new-law-criminalising-lgbtq-activity\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">criminalising LGBTQ+ \u201cactivities\u201d<\/a>. The bill, which hasn\u2019t been signed into law by the president, is the latest iteration of a bill that was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2021\/jul\/23\/ghana-anti-gay-bill-proposing-10-year-prison-sentences-sparks-outrage\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">first introduced in 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWhat I see in all of them is a political opportunism,\u201d said Anthony Oluoch of Pan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/africa\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Africa<\/a> ILGA, a continental LGBT+ rights campaign group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In some countries, he said, the new or harsher laws had been backed by religious groups and campaigns for \u201cfamily values\u201d, while in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/burkina-faso\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Burkina Faso<\/a>, whose population is predominantly Muslim, the law was framed as boosting its sovereignty in opposition to the west. \u201cUnderneath that all, there\u2019s a lot of transnational reinforcement,\u201d Oluoch added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">LGBTQ+ people \u201care the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power\u201d, said an activist in Burkina Faso, who could not be named for her security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The impact on the community, even before the law was implemented, has been devastating, activists said. Thirteen transgender women were detained without trial from June to November last year, a HIV worker said, with the women reporting they had been beaten by a military unit that imprisoned them. After the law was passed, there have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100064882774354\/posts\/1284122017093879\/?mibextid=wwXIfr&amp;rdid=yWNltpippdlL42V6#\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">at least two<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/csmedia.bf\/burkina-faso-18-personnes-condamnees-pour-pratique-dhomosexuel-et-chantage\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">sets of convictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Police are entrapping LGBTQ+ people on social media and demanding they denounce other community members, said the HIV worker, who fled the country in May after he was named by someone who had been arrested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Despite military president Ibrahim Traor\u00e9\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/apr\/03\/people-burkina-faso-should-forget-about-democracy-military-ruler-ibrahim-traore\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">anti-western rhetoric<\/a>, Burkina Faso has also caught the eye of anti-LGBTQ+ campaigners that include conservative, western Christian groups.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"785044e4-4276-4c5d-b0ed-a9a24e495acc\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A picture of Burkina Faso president Ibrahim Traor\u00e9\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/83e8cbc8061794a16b40c5b4dd2338beefae685e\/590_0_3767_3014\/master\/3767.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.04725245553493\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"785044e4-4276-4c5d-b0ed-a9a24e495acc\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Ibrahim Traor\u00e9, the president of Burkina Faso, which has criminalised same-sex relations for the first time.<\/span> Photograph: Stanislav Krasilnikov\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty, a forum that many argue has influenced anti-LGBTQ+ laws on the continent, will be held in Burkina Faso and then Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) next year, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RightifyGhana\/status\/2067202491515646318\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">announced<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The first three conferences were held annually in Uganda, in east Africa, beginning in 2023. Uganda <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2023\/may\/29\/ugandan-president-yoweri-museveni-anti-lgbtq-bill-death-penalty\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">imposed the death penalty<\/a> for some same-sex sexual acts that year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">According to US-based international reproductive rights organisation Ipas, the annual gatherings are supported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/resources\/extremist-files\/family-watch-international\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Family Watch International<\/a> (FWI), an Arizona-based Christian campaign group that opposes abortion and comprehensive sex education (CSE). Also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christiancouncilinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cci_newsletter_-_march_2023_0.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">in attendance<\/a> has been Dutch-founded lobby group Christian Council International, which promotes similar views.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">At this year\u2019s conference, hosted by Ghana\u2019s parliament in June, the draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values treaty <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/jun\/05\/ghana-african-charter-family-values-gender-women-sex-lgbtq-reproductive-rights\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was drawn up<\/a>. It condemns abortion and CSE, states that gender is either male or female, and asserts that parental rights supersede children\u2019s. A draft copy was published on <a href=\"https:\/\/familywatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/01\/Official_final_version_English_African_Union_Charter.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">FWI\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed by Ghana\u2019s parliament is a \u201cvery effective political tool\u201d, supported by powerful religious organisations in the country, said Amanda Odoi, a researcher at the University of Cape Coast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Nonetheless, Odoi added: \u201cThese international actors were very key in empowering, supporting, funding, financing and giving voice to the anti-LGBT campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">She noted the Ghana bill\u2019s similarity to Uganda\u2019s law, as well as its \u201calphabet soup\u201d \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.gh\/docs?type=Bills&amp;OT&amp;filter=Human\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the bill<\/a> uses the acronym \u201cLGBTTQAP+\u201d \u2013 that includes words like \u201cquestioning\u201d not commonly used in Ghana.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"d3197e1d-36ca-42b0-9216-17563c9081ee\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A placard saying \u2018Queer Ghanaian Lives Matter\u2019 is placed outside the Ghanaian High Commission in London\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a31731010277f0b16512e3be35563310ebec0c7f\/412_0_4497_3598\/master\/4497.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.03958194351793\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"d3197e1d-36ca-42b0-9216-17563c9081ee\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Ghana has passed a law criminalising LGBTQ+ \u2018activities\u2019.<\/span> Photograph: Eleventh Hour Photography\/Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Bringing this year\u2019s African parliamentary conference to Ghana was a deliberate decision due to the country\u2019s influence on the continent, said Ebenezer Peegah, executive director of Rightify Ghana, an NGO that supports LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cGhana has a lot of credentials that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/uganda\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Uganda<\/a> does not have \u2026 some clout that other countries in Africa do not have,\u201d said Peegah, listing Ghana\u2019s stable democracy, free and fair elections and relative press freedom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Across west Africa, LGBTQ+ people are suffering the consequences of the new and harsher laws. In Senegal, the law is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/apr\/07\/senegal-harsh-anti-gay-law-hiv-progress\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hindering HIV prevention<\/a> for men who have sex with men and transgender women, who have higher rates of HIV prevalence, as well as lawyers representing LGBTQ+ people, said Marame Kane, a French-Senegalese activist based in Paris.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f7cd7e0b-40c5-4b6d-8dc3-d6e8dfadffa4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-22 | 22\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/jul\/21\/trumps-hiv-funding-cuts-having-severe-and-devastating-impact-around-the-world\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Trump\u2019s HIV funding cuts having \u2018severe and devastating\u2019 impact around the world<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">About 100 Senegalese people fled to the Gambia this year, although most had to return to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/senegal\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Senegal<\/a> as they had no money, according to a Gambian HIV worker.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Same-sex relations are already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humandignitytrust.org\/country-profile\/gambia\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">punishable<\/a> with up to life in prison in the Gambia, while transgender women are criminalised by a cross-dressing ban. However, the HIV worker worried that the government could strengthen the laws, making HIV services even harder to provide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The crackdown in Senegal had also increased homophobia in the Gambia, he said, adding, \u201cGambia and Senegal share the same culture, the same religion, literally everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/lgbt-rights\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">LGBTQ+ rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/burkina-faso\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Burkina Faso<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/senegal\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Senegal<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/niger\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Niger<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/nigeria\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Nigeria<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/uganda\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Uganda<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Anti-LGBTQ+%20laws%20are%20on%20the%20rise%20across%20west%20Africa,%20campaigners%20warn&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/02\/anti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Faug%2F02%2Fanti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/aug\/02\/anti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>African leaders who are toughening anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been accused of \u2018political opportunism\u2019 by campaigners. Photograph: Ben Curtis\/AP View image in fullscreen African leaders who are toughening anti-LGBTQ+ laws have &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2934\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}