The West African nation was among 22 of 54 countries on the continent that allow same-sex relations. Equality Now’s Program Officer Jean-Paul Murunga says the organisation has been taken aback by this development.

“We are taken back because recently we launched a report called, The Africa family law report,  which noted one of the challenges in African family law is the prohibition of same sex marriages, relationships or unions across the continent, despite this being an issue that the African Commission on Human and people's rights had already made a ruling on and issued a resolution that there should be a prohibition on any form of violence on people based on their sexual orientation,” Murunga said.

In a statement late this week, the junta said it had adopted the amended family code draft in a weekly council of Ministers overseen by interim military leader Ibrahim Traore. "From now on, homosexuality and related practices are prohibited and punishable by law," Interim Justice Minister Edasso Rodrique Bayala said in a Presidency statement on the meeting.

For the law to come into force, it will need to pass a parliamentary vote and then be promulgated by Traore.

There has been a further clampdown on LGBTQ rights in Africa over the past 14 months. Uganda signed one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws in May last year, while lawmakers in Ghana unanimously passed legislation in February that intensifies the repression of LGBTQ people.

The daughter of Cameroon's President, Brenda Biya, came out as a lesbian last month and has since called for laws that ban homosexuality in the country to be changed.

--ChannelAfrica\Reuters--