Senegal's Prime Minister Accuses the West of Trying to Impose Homosexuality

Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko accused the West of trying to “impose homosexuality on the rest of the world.” During a speech in parliament on May 22, 2026, he stated that Western countries use their resources and control over the media to pressure other nations.

Sonko categorically rejected the possibility of a moratorium on a new law that increases penalties for same-sex relations. A group of thirty African public figures had previously requested the suspension of the law in an open letter published in the French newspaper Libération.

“If they have chosen this practice, it is their problem, but we have absolutely nothing to learn from them,” the prime minister said. He added that no Asian, African, or Arab country criticizes Senegal for its laws. Sonko called on the judicial system to apply the law fully and impartially to “put an end to the spread of homosexuality,” and noted that penalties would be toughened if necessary.

In early March 2026, the Senegalese parliament passed a law that doubles prison sentences for homosexual relations. They are now punishable by five to ten years in prison. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed the law on March 31.

Senegal is a predominantly Muslim country. Harsher penalties for homosexuality had been a long-standing promise of the ruling party. The new law was passed amid a wave of arrests of people suspected of same-sex relations and a rise in homophobic sentiments in society.