Up to 40 arrested in Niger military ‘witch-hunt’ over LGBTQ+ sexual activity
The flag of Niger (Image: Getty Images)
LGBTQ+ people in Niger are reportedly being arrested under a new penal code criminalising same-sex relations, with HIV services warning the crackdown is forcing people into hiding and cutting access to condoms, testing and PrEP.
A “witch-hunt” is reported to be under way, with dozens of people reportedly arrested for homosexuality since the law change. The Guardian report that up to 40 people have reportedly been arrested, and 16 men, including high-ranking military officials, are reported to have been imprisoned across the country. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that a judicial source confirmed at least 16 people have been arrested.
A source involved with HIV services, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Guardian that organisations providing support to men who have sex with men have had to stop working. “With the recent witch-hunt, and these arrests that are taking place, the climate here is truly toxic,” they said.
They added: “LGBTQ+ populations are keeping a low profile and have gone into hiding because they are at risk. We have lost contact with many and the recent arrests have exacerbated tensions.”
Niger’s penal code, enacted in February, makes “indecent or unnatural acts” and “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, or up to 20 years as seen in a document seen by Reuters, and a fine of between 10m and 100m West African CFA francs (£13,115 to £130,000).
Penal code and political context
Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power in a coup in July 2023 and was sworn in as president in 2025 for a five-year term, dissolving political parties. The February penal code is believed to be the first time in Niger’s history that homosexuality has been criminalised.
Last week, Niger was one of eight countries that voted against the UN political declaration on HIV/Aids, which was adopted by 149 votes.
HIV prevention access warnings
The anonymous source told The Guardian that men who have sex with men can no longer access condoms, testing services or PrEP in Niger. “When people go into hiding, we won’t see them and they won’t be able to protect themselves. So you see the impact [this penal code] has. We are truly saddened by it,” they said.
Niger is a landlocked Sahel country where security concerns, displacement and poverty shape access to healthcare and civil society space. Same-sex sexual activity was historically not explicitly criminalised in Niger’s post-independence legal framework, unlike in many other states in the region. Military-led governments in the Sahel have increasingly framed governance around sovereignty and anti-imperialist messaging, often alongside restrictions on civic freedoms, amid an alarming spike in arrests and prosecutions of LGBTQ+ people in 2023.
Front Line Defenders said it was “deeply concerned” in a statement, calling on authorities to repeal provisions that criminalise people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
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