# Campaigners warn of rising anti-LGBTQ+ laws across west Africa

https://mins.news/en/item/11923

- The Guardian, 2026-08-02 04:00 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/02/anti-lgbtq-laws-are-on-the-rise-across-west-africa-campaigners-warn

> Activists say a growing number of west African countries are introducing or tightening laws targeting LGBTQ+ people. They link the trend to domestic political pressures and a wider global backlash against LGBTQ+ rights. Senegal doubled the maximum prison term for gay sex to 10 years in March and criminalised the “promotion” of homosexuality. Niger criminalised same-sex relations in February, marking the first time such intimacy had been outlawed there.