Ousmane Sonko has criticised what he described as Western attempts to impose acceptance of homosexuality on other societies, while defending Senegal’s recently strengthened law against same-sex relations.

Speaking before lawmakers on Friday, the Senegalese prime minister said a small group of Western countries was using its economic influence and media power to promote values that many nations do not share.

“There are eight billion human beings in the world, but there is a small nucleus called the West which, because it has resources and controls the media, wants to impose it (homosexuality) on the rest of the world,” Sonko said.

The remarks come weeks after Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed legislation that increases penalties for same-sex relations in the country.

Under the new law, so-called “acts against nature”, a term used in Senegalese law to refer to same-sex relations, now carry prison sentences of between five and 10 years, up from the previous range of one to five years.

The legislation also introduces prison terms of three to seven years for individuals convicted of promoting or financing same-sex relationships.

LGBTQ rights remain a highly sensitive issue in Senegal, a predominantly Muslim nation where advocacy for gay rights has frequently been criticised by political and religious leaders as an attempt to introduce foreign cultural values.

Before becoming prime minister in 2024, Sonko had pledged to strengthen laws against same-sex relations, arguing that such measures reflected the country’s social and cultural values.

The new legislation has drawn attention internationally, with supporters describing it as a defence of Senegalese traditions, while critics argue it further restricts the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ individuals in the country.