Evariste Ndayishimiye, the president of Burundi, declared on Friday that same-sex couples ought to be publicly stoned in a vicious anti-gay tirade.

In 2009, homosexuality was made a crime in Burundi, an East African nation of conservative Christian beliefs. Consensual same-sex acts can result in sentences of up to two years in prison.

Ndayishimiye referred to same-sex marriage as a “abominable practice.”

 “Personally, I think if we see these kinds of individuals in Burundi we should put them in a stadium and stone them. And it would not be a sin for those who do,” Ndayishimiye said in response to a question at a public event broadcast by Burundian media in the east of the country.

He also criticised Western countries that urge smaller nations to allow gay marriage or risk losing aid, saying, “Let them keep their help, let them keep it.”

Burundians living abroad who have “chosen the devil” and practise homosexuality should “not come back,” he added.

Numerous East African nations have made homosexuality illegal. These nations have a history of stigmatizing and repressing LGBT individuals, which is frequently fostered by fundamentalist Christians and Muslims.

Western nations and rights organizations were incensed when Uganda passed what is regarded as one of the strictest anti-homosexuality laws in the world in May.

As a result, the World Bank stopped making fresh loans to Uganda, Washington announced that it would withdraw Uganda from a significant trade agreement and restricted official travel.

At Uganda’s constitutional court, the legislation is presently being contested.

In an effort to tighten down on same-sex relationships, Burundi prosecuted 24 individuals with “homosexual practices” in March of this year.

The move followed a call by Ndayishimiye for citizens to root out homosexuality and treat gay people as “pariahs.”

Following the passing of President Pierre Nkurunziza in June 2020, Ndayishimiye assumed office. The world community has praised him for gradually bringing an end to the years of Burundi’s isolation caused by the turbulent and brutal administration of his predecessor.

However, he has not been able to improve the abject record on human rights, and the nation, home to 12 million people, continues to rank among the world’s poorest.

AFP