Hate Is Spreading

Around the world hate against us is spreading...

‘Witch-hunt’ in Niger as military regime rounds up LGBTQ+ population

Fears of resurgence of HIV/Aids amid loss of access to PrEP drugs as at least 40 people arrested in ‘toxic’ climate

The Guardian

Sarah Johnson

Wed 1 Jul 2026

A “witch-hunt” is under way in Niger, where dozens of people have been arrested for homosexuality in the west African state following the introduction of a new penal code earlier this year.

Up to 40 people have been arrested and 16 men, including high-ranking military officials, have been imprisoned across the country, according to local media.

Organisations providing HIV services to men who have sex with men have had to stop working, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous.

“With the recent witch-hunt, and these arrests that are taking place, the climate here is truly toxic,” they said.

“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.”

They are idiots! Diseases never stops. Look at what happened when Reagan didn't do anything about HIV/AIDS and as a result it spread like wildfire. And in Niger it will be even worst because it is in the general population!

Larissa Kojoué, a political scientist and pan-African activist, dismissed the idea of homosexuality being somehow linked to western culture. “Political leaders are using this to advance their own political agenda,” she said. “They claim ‘African values’, sovereignty and culture, all the while happily undermining human rights for people.”

They are taking pages out of Trump playbook.

Examples include Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which made homosexual acts punishable by death; a new law in Senegal doubling the maximum prison term to 10 years for same-sex relations and criminalising the “promotion” of homosexuality; and a bill in Ghana criminalising groups promoting gay rights and identifying as LGBTQ+. Globally, half of the 66 countries that criminalise consensual same-sex acts are African.

There are already Republicans who also want to imprisoned us!