West Africa is witnessing a disturbing trend as several countries in the region are introducing or bolstering anti-LGBTQ+ laws, sparking concerns among activists and human rights groups. Politicians in the region are accused of using LGBTQ+ individuals as a convenient scapegoat to maintain their power and deflect from other pressing issues. The recent crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights is a stark reminder of the growing backlash against the community globally. In Senegal, the maximum prison sentence for gay sex has been doubled to 10 years, while Niger has become the latest country to outlaw same-sex intimacy, with other nations in the region likely to follow suit.
Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as ‘the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power’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.In March, Senegal doubled the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to 10 years and criminalised the “promotion” of homosexuality. Niger criminalised “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” in February, the first time same-sex intimacy had been outlawed in the country. Continue reading...
