Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has thumbed his nose at threats to cut aid to African governments that pass anti-gay laws by comparing gays with vermin.
In a TV speech to mark the nations 49th anniversary of independence from Britain, Jammeh vowed to, “fight these vermins (sic) called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively.”
Jammeh said his country would defend its sovereignty and Islamic beliefs, and not yield to outside pressure on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues.
“We will therefore not accept any friendship, aid or any other gesture that is conditional on accepting homosexuals or LGBT as they are now baptised by the powers that promote them,” he said, adding: “As far as I am concerned, LGBT can only stand for Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis; all of which are detrimental to human existence.”
Jammeh’s comments come amid a renewed crackdown on same-sex relationships in parts of Africa, where homosexuality is illegal in 37 countries. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has criminalised same-sex relationships in recent months, while Uganda has voted for life imprisonment for anyone caught committing various homosexual acts.
