Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala announced that foreign nationals convicted under the law will be deported. According to him, the ban applies not only to “homosexual acts” but also to what he described as “comparable or deviant behaviour”. Authorities say the law is part of a broader reform of family and nationality legislation, and will be accompanied by a nationwide awareness campaign.

Until now, homosexuality was not prohibited in Burkina Faso, unlike in roughly thirty other African countries. With this new legislation, the nation aligns itself with a growing regional trend in which military regimes and conservative governments are increasingly enacting strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Neighbouring Mali, also under junta rule, introduced a similar ban at the end of 2024. Ghana and Uganda have also significantly tightened their laws in recent years. Uganda, in particular, has drawn fierce international criticism: there, so-called “aggravated homosexuality” can even be punished with the death penalty.

With this new law, the situation for LGBTQ+ people in Burkina Faso becomes even more precarious. Human rights organisations fear that repression will intensify, and that the legislation will legitimise discrimination, persecution and violence against the community.