Lifestyle

10 African countries that have criminalised LGBTQ

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Nigeria, Mauritania and Sierra Leone are among the African countries that prohibit same-sex relations.Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are among the African countries that prohibit same-sex relations.
  • Globally, LGBTQ is legal in two-thirds of the countries in the world
  • However, some countries, especially African countries, criminalise and restrict the rights of LGBTQ individuals
  • TheRadar brings you a list of African countries where LGBTQ is illegal

In recent years, the global discourse on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) rights has grown significantly, with many advocating for equality and the eradication of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The signing of the Samoa agreement by Nigeria also brought further scrutiny on LGBTQ rights and how they are not recognised in the country’s laws. 

Nigeria is not the only African country that prohibits LGBTQ by law, there are numerous others that criminalise homosexual and non-binary relations. They are listed below.

10 countries that have banned LGBTQ in Africa

TheRadar brings you 10 African countries that have criminalised LGBTQ. 

  • Uganda

LGBTQ is illegal in Uganda and attracts 10 years imprisonment and the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, which includes repeated same-sex acts, sex with a minor or elderly above the age of 75, or a person with a disability. The Ugandan Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act in March 2023. 

  • Ghana

On February 28, Ghana’s parliament passed a bill to criminalise LGBTQ. The penalty for engaging in such acts is imprisonment for six months to three years. The bill also proposes a jail term of 10 years for anyone involved in LGBTQ advocacy towards children. 

  • Kenya

LGBTQ is illegal in Kenya. Kenyan law criminalises the act and punishes offenders with a 14-year jail term. The law penalises carnal knowledge against the order of nature and indecent practices between males with the possibility of a five-year jail term. 

  • Zambia

In Zambia, sex between men is a criminal act with a maximum penality of 14 years jail term. Unnatural offences are prohibited with a penalty of 14 years jail term, and acts of gross indecency between men and women are criminal acts which can attract 14 years imprisonment. 

  • Malawi

Same-sex conduct and LGBTQ practices are criminalised in Malawi. Carnal knowledge against the order of nature attracts a punishment of up to 14 years imprisonment. An attempt to commit this offence is also punishable by law and attracts seven years imprisonment. Indecent practices between males and between females also come with a penalty of five years imprisonment.

  • Mauritania

In the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, gay sex is a criminal act punishable with death by stoning. For women, it attracts a three-month to 3 years jail term. 

  • Nigeria

According to The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, a 14-year jail term is imposed on anyone who enters into a civil union with the same sex and a 10-year jail term on individuals or groups, religious leaders, who witness such the solemnisation of such union. 

  • Sierra Leone

According to the laws of the country, men who indulge in buggery are punished with life imprisonment. 

  • South Sudan

In this country, carnal intercourse against the order of nature is punished with 10 years imprisonment. The act of gross indecency is punishable by up to 14 years of jail term. Men who dress in women’s clothes in public also get three months imprisonment. 

  • Tanzania

LGBTQ practices are criminalised according to the Tanzanian laws. Indecency between men and between women attracts a penalty of five years’ imprisonment. Same-sex activities attract life imprisonment and an attempt attracts 20 years imprisonment. 

Other countries where LGBTQ rights are restricted include Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. 

“LGBTQ under Muslim-Muslim ticket”: How Nigerians are reacting to alleged clause in Samoa agreement

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Nigerian government signed the $150 billion Samoa Agreement on June 28. This international treaty aims to foster cooperation and mutual development between 27 European Union countries and 79 countries of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS). 

Some people who are in support of the present administration have expressed regret while lamenting that they were scammed as they did not expect that a Muslim-Muslim presidency would sign something so abominable into law. 

Others who are not in support of the present administration have mocked their fellow BATists, and some welcomed the LGBTQ development out of spite. 

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Funmilayo Aremu-Olayemi Admin

Funmilayo Aremu-Olayemi is a reporter with over four years of experience. She covers a wide range of beats, such as health, lifestyle, and human-angle stories. Her work has been published in the Nigerian Tribune and Elegantz Magazine, USA.

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