A bloodless coup in 2020 saw the military take control of Mali. Since then there have been growing reports of a declining human rights record in the west African country.
The new leaders – the National Transitional Council – have clamped down on opposition politicians and the media. Promised elections have not been held. Now new laws have been passed that criminalise same-sex relations – and any citizen seen to encourage homosexuality.
Christophe Broqua is an anthropologist who researches lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) life in west Africa, including in Mali. We asked him about the developments.
