Months after Senegal enacted a tougher law against homosexual relations, authorities are intensifying their crackdown on same-sex activity.
In March 2026, lawmakers passed legislation that significantly increased penalties. Consensual same-sex relations, previously punishable by up to five years in prison, now carry sentences of five to ten years. The law also criminalises the promotion of homosexuality.
On Friday, the public prosecutor’s office announced that 71 men have been charged with “unnatural acts” (the legal term used for same-sex sexual activity) and referred to a criminal court. They will also face charges of criminal conspiracy. Twenty-eight other defendants had all charges against them dropped. The investigating judge dismissed related accusations of endangering the lives of others and deliberate transmission of HIV/AIDS.
More than 100 people have been charged since the new law came into force, according to local reports, with some monitoring groups putting the total number of arrests linked to “acts against nature” at over 200 since early 2026. Those detained have included local celebrities, among them a well-known television presenter and a musician arrested earlier in the year. In several cases, suspects were initially also accused of knowingly transmitting HIV, though those specific charges have since been dropped in the main case.
Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country in West Africa, has long criminalised homosexuality. It is one of several nations in the region that have recently strengthened anti-LGBT legislation. Rights activists and LGBTQ+ advocates say the community is being scapegoated by politicians seeking popular support on an issue that draws broad consensus across political and religious lines.
