Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has proposed new legislation that would increase prison sentences for same-sex relations from five years to 10 years.

As the BBC reports, Sonko sent the proposal for tougher anti-LGBTQ+ laws to parliament last week. As he addressed lawmakers, Sonko described same-sex activity as “acts against nature”.

Same-sex relations are already criminalised in Senegal. In addition to increasing current sentences, the proposed law would also introduce prison terms between three and five years for anyone found guilty of promoting or advocating for LGBTQ+ relations.

Senegal’s parliament, which is dominated by members of Sonko’s PASTEF party, will discuss the proposal, although a debate has yet to be set.

The Prime Minister’s proposal follows the arrest of 12 men under Senegal’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the capital city of Dakar on February 9, a move which has reignited international concern over the country’s punitive laws. In addition to same-sex activity, the men had been accused of the intentional transmission of HIV, with many rights organisations warning that these arrests will intensify stigma and hinder protection and education efforts.

Nonprofit watchdog Human Rights Watch has said these arrests are “fuelling fear” towards Senegal’s LGBTQ+ community and those who are HIV positive.

“Criminalizing same‑sex conduct and arresting people for their sexual orientation or gender expression violates multiple internationally protected rights, including to equality and nondiscrimination,” the group said in a statement.

They added: “Using condoms, lubricants, or HIV treatment as evidence of same-sex conduct; forcing HIV testing; and publishing someone’s HIV status breach privacy rights and relevant international norms and deter people from seeking care, undermining essential HIV prevention and treatment efforts

Human Rights Watch also urged the Senegalese government to act on its obligations to respect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Senegal is among several countries in the region that have introduced punitive laws against the LGBTQ+ community in recent years, with Burkina Faso and Mali banning same-sex activity in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was implemented in 2023, permits judges to sentence those convicted of certain same-sex acts to death.