As Senegal cracks down on homosexuality, gay people say they suffer

Sitting at an upscale hotel in Senegal ‘s capital, the young man seemed nervous, rarely making eye contact and keeping his back against a wall, facing the entrance. He said he had been in hiding for being gay after being disowned by his family, and after police took in a friend for questioning.

Born in the city of Touba, central to Senegal’s Sufi Muslim faith, he said he has been living with another friend who doesn’t know his secret. It’s an increasingly common story in the country where homosexuality is illegal, and the government is a step away from putting in place longer prison terms for it.

“There’s a lot of fear,” the young man said.

The Associated Press could not independently verify his account or those of others who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Senegal is the latest country in Africa, where over half its states have