西非地区近期掀起反LGBTQ+立法浪潮。塞内加尔于3月将同性性行为的最高监禁刑期从5年加倍至10年，并犯罪化有关同性恋的宣传活动[1]。尼日尔在2月首次对同性关系进行了犯罪化处理[1]。布基纳法索也在过去两年内首次将同性关系定为犯罪，已进行至少两轮定罪，其中13名跨性别女性曾在6月至11月期间遭非法拘留[1]。加纳于6月通过法案将LGBTQ+活动犯罪化，该法案目前尚未获总统签署[1]。乌干达在2023年对某些同性性行为处以死刑[1]。
活动人士警告，这一趋势反映了政治机会主义的推动[1]。美国亚利桑那州的基督教游说团体家庭观察国际支持非洲跨议会年度家庭价值观与主权会议，该会议自2023年起在乌干达每年举办，明年计划在布基纳法索和埃斯瓦蒂尼继续举行[1]。面对严厉的法律环境，约100名塞内加尔人在今年逃往邻国冈比亚，但多数因缺乏资金被迫返回[1]。
Multiple West African nations have recently enacted or strengthened legislation criminalizing same-sex relationships and LGBTQ+ activities, according to human rights campaigners. Senegal doubled the maximum prison sentence for same-sex conduct from five years to ten years in March and criminalized the promotion of homosexuality [1]. Niger criminalized same-sex relationships for the first time in February [1], while Burkina Faso did so within the past two years, with at least two rounds of convictions recorded and thirteen transgender women illegally detained between June and November [1]. Ghana passed legislation in June criminalizing LGBTQ+ "activities," though the bill awaits presidential signature [1]. Mali has also criminalized same-sex relationships for the first time [1].
Activists attribute the wave of restrictions to political opportunism and cross-border pressure from religious organizations and conservative Western Christian groups [1]. The trend is underscored by an expanding network of anti-LGBTQ+ coordination: the African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty is scheduled to convene next year in Burkina Faso and Eswatini, following three annual meetings held in Uganda since 2023 [1]. Uganda implemented capital punishment for certain same-sex acts in 2023 [1], while the Arizona-based Christian advocacy organization Family Watch International has supported these annual conferences [1]. The escalating legal pressures have already sparked displacement, with approximately 100 Senegalese nationals fleeing to Gambia this year, though most were forced to return due to lack of funds [1].