A young man from Sierra Leone has fled his country and is seeking asylum elsewhere after facing threats, violence, and public humiliation for being gay, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in West Africa.
Samuel Bangura was forced to leave Sierra Leone late last year after a mob in his community discovered he was a gay and persecuted him.
“I knew they would beat him, or worse. Some said he deserved to die,” his uncle told This Day.
In Sierra Leone, homosexuality remains criminalized under Section 61 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, a colonial-era law that punishes “buggery” with up to life imprisonment. Though actual prosecutions are rare, activists say LGBTQ+ individuals face frequent harassment, discrimination, and mob violence, with little to no protection from law enforcement.
His uncle recounted how rumors began spreading in their neighborhood after their village head, Mr. Abdul caught Samuel and his male friend, Loxy making love in a toilet during their end of year school party at their school ground in Kenema.
“They called them evil. Samuel’s own father, an Islamic teacher threatened to kill him. He couldn’t stay in his house. He had to run.”
In December 2024, his friend, Loxy was caught, mobbed and killed during a night club event they had attended together.
Samuel himself had narrowly escaped the mob and possibly death.
Since then his whereabout has been unknown and he’s been wanted earnestly.
According to our source, Samuel Bangura first went into hiding in a building construction site of his uncle, in Sierra Leone, then crossed the border into neighboring Guinea, before making his way further with the help of humanitarians.
“This young man’s story is one of many,” a human rights activist has told This Day.
People in Sierra Leone are being criminalized simply for who they are. The lack of state protection leaves them vulnerable to mob justice, abuse, and complete social isolation.”
