By Staff Reporter
Ousmane Sonko has strongly condemned what he described as Western attempts to “impose” homosexuality on African nations, while defending Senegal’s newly strengthened anti-LGBTQ laws.
Speaking before lawmakers on Friday, Sonko accused Western countries of using their global influence and media power to pressure African states into accepting values that he said do not align with Senegalese culture and beliefs.
“There is a kind of tyranny,” Sonko said. “There are eight billion people in the world, but there is a small nucleus called the West which, because it has resources and controls the media, wants to impose homosexuality on the rest of the world.”
The remarks come weeks after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed a controversial new law that significantly increases penalties for same-sex relations.
Under the legislation, individuals convicted of same-sex acts can now face between five and 10 years in prison, up from the previous one to five years. The law also criminalises the promotion or financing of same-sex relationships, with offenders facing up to seven years behind bars.
Authorities have already carried out dozens of arrests since the law came into effect.
Sonko said Senegal would not bow to international criticism, particularly from France and other Western nations.
“If they have opted for these practices, it’s their problem, but we don’t have any lessons to take from them,” he declared.
The Senegalese premier also dismissed calls for a moratorium on enforcing the law after a group of African public figures urged the government to reconsider the legislation in an opinion piece published in the French newspaper Liberation.
Before becoming prime minister in 2024, Sonko had campaigned on promises to toughen laws against homosexuality, arguing that Senegal must protect its cultural and religious values.
The issue remains highly sensitive in Muslim-majority Senegal, where LGBTQ rights continue to face strong public opposition and are often portrayed by conservative groups as foreign ideas promoted by Western governments and organisations.
