Burundi President targets homosexuals

LGBT individuals already face social exclusion in the East African country, where current laws stipulate prison sentences of up to two years for those convicted of homosexual offenses.

TARGETING THE LGBT COMMUNITY

In a statement made during a Q&A session with the public in the east of the country, where journalists were also present, Ndayishimiye said, "If you want to curse the country, accept homosexuality."

"In fact, if we find such people in Burundi, I think it would be better to take them to a stadium and stone them. And that cannot be a sin," said Evariste Ndayishimiye, who described homosexuality as a "thing" imported from the West. The remarks by Ndayishimiye, who is a devout Catholic, have escalated the exclusion of LGBT individuals in the country to a dangerous level.

Another East African country, Uganda, passed a law in May that mandates the death penalty for certain categories of homosexual offenses and long prison sentences for others.

LGBT MOVEMENT IN OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES

The law in question was heavily criticized by Western governments as well as human rights activists. The United States imposed a series of sanctions on Uganda, including travel restrictions and removal from a duty-free trade agreement. Similarly, the World Bank suspended all future loans to the East African country in protest.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania, numerous lawmakers are pushing for similarly harsh anti-homosexual laws in their own countries.

African politicians state that they view their efforts in this direction as protecting and supporting 'African values and sovereignty against Western pressure.'