Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has firmly declared that Senegal’s new law criminalizing same-sex relations will be fully enforced.

The Senegalese head of government made this statement during a parliamentary session on May 22, 2026, addressing deputies’ questions on current affairs.

Sonko emphasized that Senegal remains a sovereign nation defending its societal values against practices it deems unacceptable. The law, he noted, reflects the will of the Senegalese people, the vast majority of whom reject homosexuality.

“The Senegalese people are sovereign. The overwhelming majority do not want certain practices in Senegal,” Sonko stated.

Confronting Western pressure

In response to criticism from Western nations and some African elites, including human rights lawyer Alice Nkom, Sonko condemned what he described as the “tyranny of the West.”

“There is a sort of tyranny. We are eight billion people in the world, but there is a small group called the West that has not settled its own debate, yet because it controls media and resources, it seeks to impose homosexuality on the rest of the world. By what right?” Sonko argued.

He categorically ruled out any moratorium on the law’s implementation, declaring: “This law will be enforced.”

The new legislation, adopted on March 27, 2026, amends Article 319 of Senegal’s 1965 Penal Code, broadening the definition of “acts against nature” and increasing penalties. These include imprisonment from five to ten years and fines ranging from 2 million to 10 million West African CFA francs.

The law now defines “acts against nature” as any sexual act between individuals of the same sex, as well as any sexual act involving a human corpse or an animal. It also criminalizes advocacy and financing of such acts, with enhanced penalties for cases involving rape or pedophilia.

Sonko stressed that Senegal’s sovereignty allows it to set its own moral and legal standards, free from external imposition.