UN, Netherlands cancel LGBTQ event in Senegal after government warning

The UN and the Dutch foreign ministry said on Friday they had cancelled an LGBTQ-themed event in Senegal after the West African nation warned of repercussions for organisers and voiced opposition to all “promotion of the LGBTQI phenomenon”.

Anti-gay laws are in place in many conservative West African countries, including Senegal, where anyone who commits an “act against nature” with someone of the same sex can be punished by up to five years in prison.

In a statement published on X, Senegal’s foreign ministry on Friday said it had been informed of a film screening to be hosted by the UN and the Dutch embassy that would have been followed by “discussions on LGBTI issues”.

The statement did not specify when the event was scheduled to occur.

“Accordingly, the government reserves the right to take any appropriate action against any organisers of such activities, and even against participants, whatever their origins, status or rank,” the foreign ministry statement said.

The activities of diplomatic missions and international organizations must comply with the country’s regulations, it said.

Later on Friday, Seif Magango, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, told Reuters the event “has been cancelled, and we continue to engage with the authorities”.

The Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement that, while the Netherlands “stands for human rights and equal treatment” it had decided to cancel the event “considering various factors”.

In 2022, Senegalese lawmakers rejected a bid to toughen anti-LGBTQ provisions in the penal code, saying the existing legislation was sufficiently clear.

Earlier this year, Ghana reintroduced a bill that could become one of Africa’s most restrictive pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation after an earlier attempt to enact it fell short because of legal challenges.

The fate of that legislation, which would need to be signed into law by the president, is unclear.