Burkina Faso bans homosexulaity with prison terms

Burkina Faso's parliament has passed a law prohibiting “homosexual practices” with offenders facing two to five years in prison. Repeat offenders without local citizenship are to be expelled from the country.

Homosexuality is illegal in around 30 African countries but was not banned in Burkina Faso before the military seized power three years ago.

The laws, though criticized abroad, enjoy popularity in the countries where locals and officials have criticized homosexuality as behavior imported from abroad and not a sexual orientation.

The new law goes into effect immediately with individuals in same-sex relationships risking prison sentences as well as fines, Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said during a briefing broadcast by the state TV. He described homosexual acts as "bizarre behavior." 

Burkina Faso has been governed by a military junta following a coup in 2022 that the soldiers said was to stabilize the country amid a worsening security crisis and provide better governance.

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