West African governments are introducing or strengthening laws that criminalise same-sex relationships and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Senegal increased the maximum sentence for gay sex, while Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have recently outlawed same-sex relations; Ghana has also approved broader restrictions. Campaigners say politicians are using LGBTQ+ people as convenient scapegoats, increasing arrests, violence, social exclusion and barriers to HIV prevention and legal support.