Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye has publicly declared his controversial stance on LGBTQ individuals in the country, stating that stoning them would not be considered a crime. The president, who follows the Catholic faith, suggested during a broadcasted public event that LGBTQ identities are viewed as satanic in Burundi.
Expressing his views, Ndayishimiye proposed the idea of gathering LGBTQ individuals in stadiums and subjecting them to stoning, asserting that such an act would not be deemed illegal. He went on to discourage those who may hold LGBTQ inclinations from attempting to bring what he perceives as Western habits to Burundi, implying that those who embrace such lifestyles should remain in Western countries.
Furthermore, President Ndayishimiye criticized Western nations for pressuring other countries to adopt gay rights policies by leveraging foreign aid. He dismissed the influence of such assistance, stating that the country would not succumb to external pressure regarding LGBTQ issues.
In Burundi, homosexuality has been deemed illegal since 2009, carrying the potential for a two-year jail sentence. Recent incidents include the charging of 24 individuals for engaging in homosexual practices in March, and in August, seven others received prison sentences ranging from one to two years after being found guilty of participating in homosexual acts, despite their denial of the charges.
The broader context reveals that many African countries, including Uganda, share a similar stance on homosexuality. Uganda faced international criticism in May for implementing stringent laws, including the death penalty for individuals engaging in homosexual acts with those under 18 or when one party is infected with life-threatening diseases like HIV. In response, the World Bank suspended loans to Uganda, and the United States took measures such as ejecting Uganda from a trade agreement and imposing visa restrictions on government officials.
