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(FILES) Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko speaks during a press conference to present the governments economic action plan, in Dakar, on September 26, 2024. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on May 22, 2026 condemned Western "tyranny" in wanting to "impose" homosexuality and rejected any attempt to stop the application of a new law toughing sentences for same-sex relations.
SEYLLOU / AFPPrime Minister Ousmane Sonko has sharply criticized what he terms Western pressure to “impose homosexuality” on Senegal, amid rising hostility and arrests under the country’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
In early March, Senegal passed legislation doubling the penalties for same-sex relations, increasing prison sentences from five to ten years. The bill was signed into law by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on March 31.
During a parliamentary address, Ousmane Sonko dismissed international condemnation, particularly from France, and ruled out any moratorium on enforcement despite a mid-May appeal by more than thirty African-origin public figures in a widely circulated op-ed.
The signatories warned of a “climate of fear, hatred, and violence” triggered by the legislation’s passage.
“Putting an end to the ‘proliferation’ of homosexuality.”
Sonko instead urged courts to apply the law fully and rigorously, asserting the goal was to curb the spread of same-sex relations. While this rhetoric resonates politically in Senegal, it risks fueling discrimination, denunciations, and violent attacks against LGBTQ+ individuals.
The government’s stance, though not aligned with Western debates on the issue, underscores the urgent need to uphold fundamental human dignity and protect marginalized communities from persecution.
By Yvette Tchuente — State political analyst
Journalist