‘Witch-hunt’ underway for LGBTQ+ populations

A ‘witch-hunt’ is under way in Niger, where dozens of people have been arrested for homosexuality in the west African state following the introduction of a new penal code earlier this year, reports The Guardian. Up to 40 people have been arrested and 16 men, including high-ranking military officials, have been imprisoned across the country, according to local media. Organisations providing HIV services to men who have sex with men have had to stop working, according to a source. ‘With the recent witch-hunt, and these arrests that are taking place, the climate here is truly toxic,’ they said. Niger’s new penal code, enacted in February, dictates that ‘indecent or unnatural acts’ and ‘sexual relations with a person of the same sex’ are punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 100m West African CFA francs (£130 000). It is the first time in the country’s history that homosexuality has been criminalised and follows the introduction of similar laws and penal codes in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso within the past two years. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the military government and a former UN peacekeeper, who seized power in a coup d’état in July 2023 has pushed anti-imperialist rhetoric and formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Burkina Faso and Mali, breaking away from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). The changes to the penal code started under Niger’s previous civilian president, Mohamed Bazoum. But in March 2025, Tchiani’s regime promulgated the Charter of the Refoundation to replace Niger’s 2010 Constitution. Although the charter prohibits LGBTQ+ relations, criminal penalties related to these measures were only introduced with the new penal code in February.