Today in Africa — September 2, 2025: Burkina Faso Criminalizes Homosexuality With Harsh New Law, US Deportees Held Without Charges in Eswatini Prison, Nigeria Bids to Become First African Host of Commonwealth Games

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening on the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

Burkina Faso Criminalizes Homosexuality With Harsh New Law

Burkina Faso’s parliament has unanimously approved an amended family code that criminalizes homosexuality, imposing prison terms of two to five years and fines on offenders. The law, which Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala described as targeting “bizarre behavior,” took immediate effect after its passage yesterday, Monday, September 2. Officials framed the move as defending “marriage and family values,” with Bayala warning that those found guilty will “go before the judge.”

The measure, first introduced by the military government of Capt. Ibrahim Traoré last year, places Burkina Faso among more than half of Africa’s countries that ban same-sex relationships, despite international criticism. Human rights groups say the junta is using such policies to tighten control, while also arresting critics and conscripting opponents into the army. Since seizing power in September 2022, Traoré has sought to position himself as a pan-African leader, rejecting Western influence, a message that resonates with many young people in the region even as rights crackdowns intensify.

US Deportees Held Without Charges in Eswatini Prison, Lawyers Say

Five men deported from the United States to Eswatini in July have been held for seven weeks in a maximum-security prison without charges, legal access, or explanation, according to their lawyers. Among them is Jamaican national Orville Etoria, who completed a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. but was allegedly sent to Eswatini despite Jamaica’s willingness to take him back. The others are citizens of Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Lawyers say the men’s detention violates due process and exposes flaws in the Trump administration’s secretive third-country deportation program, which transfers migrants to African nations with which they have no ties. Eswatini authorities have confined the men at Matsapha Correctional Complex, where pro-democracy activists have also reported abuse, while prison officials claim only the U.S. Embassy can grant lawyers access. Rights advocates warn that the third-country deportation program, which has also sent deportees to South Sudan and Rwanda, leaves migrants vulnerable to indefinite detention in countries with poor rights records.

Nigeria and India Submit Bids to Host 2030 Commonwealth Games

Nigeria has formally submitted a bid for Abuja to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, marking its second attempt after losing to Glasgow in 2014. India is also in the running, putting forward Ahmedabad as its candidate city. The two bids bring relief to Commonwealth Sport, which has faced uncertainty after South Africa’s Durban and Australia’s Victoria withdrew from hosting the 2022 and 2026 editions due to financial issues, with England’s Birmingham and Scotland’s Glasgow stepping in as replacements.

If successful, Abuja would become the first African city to host the Games. Commonwealth Sport President Donald Rukare praised the bids as proof of the event’s enduring appeal and said they reflect the ambition of both nations. While Nigeria aims to make history, India sees the Games as a stepping stone toward a possible 2036 Olympic bid. The proposals will be reviewed as part of efforts to secure a sustainable future for the century-old sporting event.

Report Warns of Expanding West African Role in Global Cocaine Trade

A new report says Western Balkan criminal groups are deepening their presence in West Africa, using ports in Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde to move cocaine from Latin America to Europe. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) found that Albanian and Slavic-speaking networks, now among Europe’s top traffickers, have forged key alliances with Dutch gangs and Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), making them central players in the supply chain. Researchers warned that these groups are highly sophisticated and violent, raising risks of instability across West Africa, and called for stronger cross-continental cooperation between law enforcement and port authorities to counter the growing trade.

DR Congo Ex-Justice Minister Sentenced for $19M Embezzlement

DR Congo’s former justice minister Constant Mutamba has been sentenced to three years of forced labor after a court found him guilty of embezzling $19 million meant for a prison construction project in Kisangani. The Court of Cassation also barred him from seeking office for five years after his sentence. Mutamba, 37, resigned from his post in June while denying the charges, which sparked protests by his supporters in Kinshasa that delayed the verdict. Once a close ally of President Félix Tshisekedi, Mutamba earlier this year backed legal proceedings against former President Joseph Kabila over alleged ties to the M23 rebel group.

Guinea Eases Media Ban Ahead of Referendum

Guinea has lifted restrictions on journalists covering political party activities ahead of its September 21 constitutional referendum, reversing an earlier decree that had banned coverage of opposition groups facing suspension or dissolution. The country’s media regulator said reporting would now be permitted as long as journalists respect election campaign rules. The move comes as the junta, which seized power from President Alpha Condé in 2021, faces criticism for cracking down on press freedom and political opposition. Last month, authorities suspended three major opposition parties — including Condé’s Rally of the Guinean People — from political activity for 90 days.

Rare Egyptian God Statue Unearthed in Turkey’s Perre Ancient City

Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have uncovered a rare faience amulet of the Egyptian god Pataikos during excavations at the 2,100-year-old Perre Ancient City in Adiyaman — the first such discovery in Anatolia. The figurine was found inside a Hellenistic-era burial chamber along the site’s “Stairway to Eternity,” where 14 human remains and other amulets were also unearthed. Researchers say the piece, similar to examples seen in Italy, Greece, and the Eastern Mediterranean, highlights the city’s ancient connections to wider trade and cultural networks.

CAR Opposition Leader Gives Up French Citizenship to Run Against Touadéra

Former Central African Republic prime minister Anicet-Georges Dologuele has renounced his French citizenship to qualify for December’s presidential election, where he will again face President Faustin-Archange Touadéra. Dologuele, who lost to Touadéra in 2020, said he made the decision “with a heavy heart” but accused the electoral authority of bias and incompetence, warning he may boycott the vote if conditions for fairness are not met. The move comes after a 2023 constitutional change allowed Touadéra to seek a third term while barring candidates with dual citizenship, deepening concerns about democracy in the conflict-hit country.