By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Burkina Faso’s interim parliament on Monday voted in favour of a bill seeking to place a ban on homosexual acts, barely a year after a draft of an amended family code that criminalises homosexuality was adopted by the federal cabinet.
The new measure which received unanimous voting on the floor of National Assembly imposes punishments of up to five years in jail for convicted offenders. It is viewed as part of a broader crackdown on same-sex relationships across the continent.
“The law provides for a prison sentence of between two and five years as well as fines”, Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala announced in a state-owned media outlet.
He added that foreign nationals caught breaking the law would also be deported.
With the parliamentarian approval, the bill is expected to be presented to the junta leader, Capt Ibrahim Traoré for his assent.
The Sahel nation had previously been among just 22 out of 54 African countries that allowed same-sex relations, which are punishable by death or lengthy prison terms in other countries.
After gaining independence from France in 1960, Burkina Faso did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws unlike Britain’s former colonies on the continent.
Last year, the neighbouring Mali, also ruled by a junta adopted legislation criminalising homosexuality.
countries taking tough measures against same-sex relationships have come under criticism across the continent.
Following its anti-gay legislation considered “draconian” by the West, Uganda was slammed with loan ban by the World Bank. The ban has since been lifted.
Nigeria is also among the countries on the continent that have enacted laws banning homosexuality. Ghana’s parliament passed an anti-homosexuality bill last year, but the then-president did not sign it into law.
Capt Traoré came to power in 2022, following a military coup that overthrew his predecessor, Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, from office.
The Muslim-dominated West African nation is socially conservative and religious with less than 10% of people thought to not follow any faith.
