Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law legislation doubling the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison amid a crackdown on the country’s gay community. The law punishes “acts against nature”, a term used to signify same-sex relations, by five to 10 years’ imprisonment, compared with one to five years previously. It also provides for three to seven years in prison for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships. Ousmane Sonko, before becoming Senegal’s highly influential prime minister in 2024, had promised to make same-sex relations a crime, upping the offence from its current classification as misdemeanour. However, the new law, which Sonko himself presented to parliament, maintains the same misdemeanour status.

Source: Punch March 31, 2026 14:10 UTC