Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko strongly criticized what he termed a “tyranny” from Western nations on Friday, May 22, asserting that these powers are attempting to “impose homosexuality on the rest of the world.” Speaking before lawmakers, Sonko also firmly rejected any suggestion of a moratorium on the country’s recently enacted law, which significantly stiffens penalties for same-sex relations in the predominantly Muslim West African nation.
In a move that garnered international attention, Senegal passed new legislation in early March, effectively doubling the prison sentences for homosexual acts. Offenders now face five to ten years behind bars, a measure officially promulgated on March 31 by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
This legislative change unfolds amidst a noticeable surge in homophobic sentiment across the nation, alongside a series of arrests targeting individuals suspected of homosexual activity.
“the law will be strengthened if necessary”
“There exists a form of tyranny. We are eight billion people globally, yet a small core, which we call the West, where the debate itself remains unresolved, seeks to dictate this [homosexuality] to the entire world simply because it possesses resources and controls the media. By what right?” Prime Minister Sonko challenged.
He further stated that following the law’s passage, he “heard much posturing [criticizing Senegal] from foreign countries, particularly France. If they have chosen these practices, that is their concern, but we have absolutely no lessons to learn from them.”
Contrasting the Western stance, which he believes “aims to impose its dictates,” Sonko highlighted that “no Asian, African, or Arab country is criticizing us.” He then declared, “if the law needs to be strengthened, it will be.”
The head of government urged the judiciary to “ensure” the law’s “total, impersonal, and perfect” enforcement, emphasizing that the primary objective of the new text is to “halt the proliferation of the phenomenon of homosexuality.”
rejection of any ‘moratorium’ on law enforcement
Ousmane Sonko also dismissed any notion of a “moratorium” on the law’s implementation. This rejection comes in response to a plea made by a collective of approximately thirty individuals of African descent, published mid-May in the French newspaper Libération.
The collective’s request for a moratorium was prompted by what they described as a “climate of fear, hatred, and violence” that has reportedly taken hold in the country since the law’s enactment.
“There will be no moratorium. A segment of our elites suffers from an inferiority complex,” the Senegalese head of government retorted.
Same-sex relations are widely considered a deviation in Senegal, and the toughening of their repression has been a long-standing political commitment of the ruling party, holding significant political sway within the nation.