Botswana has formally repealed sections of its penal code criminalising same-sex relations, in a rare advance for LGBTQ rights in Africa. But several governments elsewhere on the continent are introducing harsher penalties for same-sex relationships.
Issued on: 17/05/2026 - 16:28
4 min Reading time
On 17 May 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses and since then many countries mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on that day each year. While much of the African continent remains hostile terrain for LGBTQ people, campaigners in Botswana say a years-long legal battle has begun to bear fruit. In 2019, Botswana’s High Court ruled that laws criminalising same-sex relations were unconstitutional and the penal code was formally amended in March this year. “We welcome with joy the decision by the government’s legal representative to formally repeal these sections of the penal code,” says Nozizwe Ntesang, head of the rights group Legabibo. “It's encouraging for us, because this new government has clearly shown, from the beginning, that it stands on the side of human rights – rights which by definition concern everyone and therefore include LGBT people,” she told RFI's Claire Bargelès. The legislation was passed despite opposition, backed by some religious groups.
