A new legislation introduced by Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, is seeking to double the punishment for same-sex relations.
If passed into law could see offender bagging up to 10 years in prison.
Addressing lawmakers on Tuesday, Sonko said the bill would punish what it describes as “acts against nature” with prison sentences ranging from five to 10 years, compared with the current one- to five-year terms.
“If an act is committed with a minor, it will attract the maximum penalty,” he said, drawing criticism from rights advocates.
Debate over LGBT rights has long generated tension in Senegal, a conservative country where some groups portray pro-LGBT activism as foreign interference.
Religious organisations have held demonstrations in recent years calling for harsher punishments.
Earlier this month, police detained 12 men, among them two public figures and a prominent journalist, under anti-LGBT laws. Local media outlets say around 30 people have been arrested in total this month.
Sonko explained that the draft law defines any sexual conduct between two people of the same sex as an “act against nature”.
The bill proposes prison terms of three to seven years for anyone found to be promoting or advocating same-sex relations.
It also prescribes separate punishment for those who accuse others of homosexuality “without proof”.
Those found guilty of crimes in the bill could also face fines up to 10 million CFA (about $18,000; £13,000), Sonko added.
Sonko said the revised law would keep the offence at its current misdemeanour level.
“We can achieve the intended objectives without going so far as to elevate the acts to the level of more serious crimes,” he added.
A date has yet to be set for a parliamentary vote on the bill, in a chamber controlled by Sonko’s Pastef party.
Sonko, a former firebrand opposition leader appointed prime minister in 2024, had pledged to criminalise same-sex relations in the Muslim-majority country.
