(Abidjan) Several LGBTQ+ activists in Côte d’Ivoire expressed their concern on Thursday following a wave of verbal and physical “homophobic attacks” fueled by social networks, which have targeted homosexual and transgender people for the past month.
“Since the beginning of August, around thirty physical homophobic attacks have been recorded” by the LGBT+ Social Movement of Côte d’Ivoire, which brings together different associations, Brice Donald Dibahi, 32, founder of the NGO Gromo, one of the most active in the community in the country, told AFP.
In Ivory Coast – where the law does not criminalize homosexuality, unlike in many African countries – there “has always been homophobia, whether in the streets or on social media, but I have never seen this kind of uprising,” he added.
“I have never seen a movement of this magnitude,” confirms Louna, 44, director of the NGO Droit à la différence (DADI) and a transgender woman, who had to close the headquarters of her association last week and is preparing to leave Abidjan.
She says she has heard threatening comments in recent weeks on the streets of her neighborhood such as “‘You are perverting society so you should not exist’.”
Five complaints against unknown persons have been filed for “assault and battery” or “insults” this month, reports Brice Donald Dibahi, specifying that the attacks mainly take place in working-class communes of Abidjan, such as Yopougon, but the political capital Yamoussoukro is also concerned, according to a resident contacted by AFP who says he has been threatened.
“We are afraid to go to the market, to go to a restaurant to eat, because we never know where the blow might come from,” continues Mr. Dibahi.
The wave of hatred began on social media at the beginning of August, following rumours denouncing a case of pedocriminality which allegedly involved a homosexual person.
Several publications have called for a march this weekend in Abidjan against “woubis,” a word born in Ivory Coast that the LGBTQ+ community first used to refer to itself before it became pejorative.
In a statement released Thursday, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) called on the population “to renounce the use of violence in expressing their disagreement” and said it “firmly believes that the protection of the rights of LGBTQ+ people can and must be carried out” while respecting “the cultural values” of Côte d’Ivoire.
At the same time, he asks the LGBTQ+ community to “avoid any behavior that could be perceived as provocative or ostentatious.”
At the end of 2021, the issue of homosexuality had emerged in the public debate after heated exchanges in the National Assembly. The mention of “sexual orientation” as a ground for discrimination had been removed from the Penal Code.
On the African continent, homosexuality is criminalized in about thirty countries and some have recently toughened their laws, such as Burkina Faso, Ghana and Uganda. Ivory Coast is often considered one of the most liberal countries in West Africa in terms of morals.