Public attitudes

Following the enactment of Article 210-3 of Burkina Faso’s Family Code, many LGBTQI+ persons fear that the new legislation will result in a “witch-hunt”, with the risk of “outings” on social media becoming common. Public discourse has increasingly framed LGBTQI+ people as threats to national identity and morality, and state-aligned media have amplified narratives portraying sexual and gender minorities as criminal or foreign influences.

Even prior to the new legislation, many LGBTQI+ persons kept their sexual orientation quiet out of fear of prejudice, noting that homophobic stigmatisation and discrimination is widespread. According to public opinion polls, in 2024 only 12% of Burkinabè persons would consider their local area to be a “good place” for LGBTQI+ persons and in 2023, only 10.6% of persons in Burkina Faso would accept having a neighbour who was homosexual. These results are consistent with other recent polls which show persistently high levels of intolerance towards LGBTQI+ persons which further increased between 2015 and 2023. 

Government statements

Following the 2022 coup d’état in Burkina Faso, several state officials have spoken out publicly against LGBTQI+ persons. Publicly visible anti‑LGBTQI+ rhetoric by state representatives intensified in 2023. 

In a reported General Assembly address on September 23, 2023, delivered on behalf of the transitional president, Minister of State Bassolma Bazié declared that “there will be no question of homosexuality” in Africa, positioning LGBTQI+ exclusion within a broader assertion of sovereignty and anti‑Western alignment. 

In August 2024, Prime Minister Joachim Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambèla used a formal governance forum to contrast “polygamy” favorably against “homosexuality,” asking rhetorically “which has more human value?” and asserting that polygamy “has always existed in history.” This reported framing presented homosexuality as alien to “our socio‑cultural specificities,” and reinforced a governmental narrative of locally grounded “freedom” that excludes sexual minorities. 

As reported in early September 2025, as the transitional parliament unanimously adopted the above mentioned amendments to the Burkina Faso’s Family Code criminalizing consensual same-sex relations and the “promotion” of homosexuality, the justice minister, Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, announced on national television that offenders would face two to five years’ imprisonment and fines, adding that those engaged in “homosexual or similar practices” and “all the bizarre behaviour” would be brought before a judge, with deportation for non-nationals in case of recidivism. 

Harassment and violence 

In November 2021, it was reported that LGBTQI+ persons who have been arrested and detained also face discrimination by the police, being deprived of food and water whilst incarcerated and are often forced to pay bribes to avoid mistreatment and harassment in custody. 

A 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices reported a number of instances of LGBTQI+ harassment and violence, noting that in August 2023, the Burkinabè transitional government incited anti-LGBTQI+ harassment, including potentially funding a youth coalition which held a rally to demonstrate against homosexuality. It was also reported that LGBTQI+ rights advocacy groups often advised LGBTQI+ persons to conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity to protect themselves from violence. Reports of violence against LGBTQI+ persons were said not to be taken seriously by law enforcement.

In June 2025, it was reported that a homosexual cross-dresser had been arrested and charged with indecent assault for having been apprehended in feminine clothing. He was eventually acquitted by a Tribunal in Ouagadougou on the basis that the offence had not been made out, but the accused was advised by the Tribunal to “stop his practice” on the basis that “the practice of homosexuality is not accepted and he might one day face public anger”.

Discrimination and failure to support LGBTQI+ persons

A 2023 U.S. Human Rights Report states that LGBTQI+ persons faced restrictions on freedom to associate and assemble, often being excluded from both public and commercially owned venues, and that organizations seeking legal existence sometimes resorted to obfuscating identities to register. The report also states that LGBTQI+ persons faced discrimination in access to health care, employment, housing, and public accommodation. The report specifies that members of the LGBTQI+ community were fired from their jobs, both in the private sector and in government, when their employers became aware of their sexual orientation.

Reports show that transgender persons frequently self-medicate with hormones due to pervasive discrimination in the health system and the lack of specialized, supportive care, underscoring significant health risks and social harms. Interviewees and medical experts describe a pattern of avoidance of formal healthcare, fears of being “outed,” and the unavailability of state-run, gender-affirming programs, all of which contribute to dangerous self-treatment and increased morbidity. The same reporting relays concerns by a local LGBTQI+ organization that mismatched identity documents expose trans persons to arrest on identity-fraud theories. 

Media censorship

In August 2023, the Superior Council of Communication (Burkina Faso’s national communications regulator, the SCC) adopted a decision that restricts the broadcast of LGBTQI+ related content. The SCC cited concerns about “the resurgence of audiovisual programmes accessible to minors that depict or promote homosexuality” as the basis for their decision, deeming it inappropriate for their age and societal norms. This decision prohibits television channels from airing content “promoting homosexuality” and bans any content or scenes of a “homosexual character” on channels targeted at children and young audiences.

On social media, the introduction of the draft law criminalising same-sex relations, i.e. Article 210-3 of Burkina Faso’s Family Code in force since September 2025, gave rise to anti-LGBTQI+ conversations on TikTok and X, with many users supporting the proposal and sharing hostile comments.

Family life

Same-sex marriages or civil unions do not exist in Burkina Faso since the Constitution provides that “marriage is founded on the free consent of the man and of the woman.” Likewise, same-sex couples are effectively prevented from adopting children since this right only exists for married spouses.

LGBTQI+ persons are reportedly instead often targeted by family members because of sexual orientation or gender identity and sometimes did not seek treatment or help from social services, due to further ostracization or violence.

Enforcement of Article 210-3 of Burkina Faso’s Family Code

In December 2025, the first conviction under Article 210-3 of Burkina Faso’s Family Code was reported, three months after its introduction. A foreign national was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, a CFA 2 million franc fine and will be expelled from Burkina Faso following completion of the prison sentence. The Ministry’s statement notes only that the individual was charged with “homosexuality and related practices”. 

Asylum

M.G. v French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons

On 17 July 2024, the French National Court of Asylum (CNDA) provided refugee protection to the applicant, a national of Burkina Faso, who had requested asylum in France. The applicant claimed that he feared persecution or serious harm in Burkina Faso, from his family and members of society, because of his sexual orientation, without being able to rely on the protection of the national authorities. He claimed that he was attacked and threatened by members of his family, namely his brother and an uncle, because of his homosexuality and that when he requested assistance from the national authorities he was again threatened due to his sexual orientation. The CNDA also recognised the existence of a social group of homosexual persons in Burkina Faso, entitling them to refugee status in accordance with the 1951 Refugee Convention and homosexual people, who are subjected to a climate of strong hostility towards them in Burkina Faso, in the absence of assistance from national authorities, are at risk of persecution.