Ethiopian security forces are reportedly intensifying their efforts to monitor hotels, bars, and restaurants in the capital city of Addis Ababa, targeting areas where gay sexual activity is suspected to occur, as reported by the state news agency on Thursday.
In recent years, numerous African nations that have laws criminalizing homosexuality have been enforcing these regulations more rigorously.
Additionally, several governments have put forth proposals for even stricter laws and penalties, with the most recent instances occurring in Ghana and Uganda.
Advocacy organizations point out that the LGBT community in Ethiopia continues to operate covertly due to the significant discrimination LGBT individuals encounter.
The fear of violence and social exclusion if their sexual orientation is revealed forces them to remain hidden.
The Addis Ababa Peace and Tranquillity Administration Bureau, a governmental entity, has stated that it is responding to information from the public and initiating measures “against establishments involved in homosexual activities.”
As part of these efforts, a guest house in the city has already been subject to a raid, as reported by Ethiopia’s state news agency ENA.
“If there is any sympathy for those who commit and execute this abominable act that is hated by man and God, (the bureau) will continue to take action,” the state body said.
Although gay sexual activity is illegal in Ethiopia, there have been no recent reports of individuals being prosecuted for engaging in consensual same-sex sexual relations.
The House of Guramayle, an LGBT advocacy group, expressed its condemnation of the recent increase in attacks against individuals in Ethiopia, driven by their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
