Burkina Faso

In July 2024, the ruling military junta adopted a draft law amending the family code to criminalize homosexuality, with the interim Justice Minister Edasso Rodrique Bayala saying, “From now on, homosexuality and related practices are prohibited and punishable by law.” In September 2025, the unelected transitional legislature of Burkina Faso adopted the new family code, Law No. 012-2025/Alt. The new Article 2103 explicitly criminalizes homosexual acts or similar practices, as well as behavior likely to “promote” homosexual and similar practices, with penalties of two to five years’ imprisonment and fines of up to 10 million CFA francs [US$17,630]. Penalties are doubled for repeat offenses.

Articles 16 and 63 of Law No. 064-2015/CNT (2015) on freedom of association allow authorities to reject the registration of groups whose aims are considered to be “illicit, or contrary to laws and good morals.” Some LGBTIQ organizations have reportedly tried to register and have been rejected. Other organizations working on LGBTIQ issues “use obfuscating names or mission statements” to obtain registration.

Anti-LGBTIQ sentiments and physical and verbal abuse, including extortion and blackmail, are common. According to a 2019 survey, only eight percent of people from Burkina Faso said they would accept having a “homosexual” neighbor. Family rejection of LGBTIQ individuals is a serious issue, and survivors of attacks from family members do not seek social or legal assistance to avoid further victimization. Transgender people face obstacles in obtaining gender-affirming health care and resort to self-medication or seek medication abroad due to discrimination by health care providers. There are no procedures for legal gender recognition, and trans people risk arrest for identity theft due to the mismatch between their legal sex marker and their gender identity. There have been reports of police arbitrarily detaining LGBTIQ people and subjecting them to humiliation.