What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Sudan?

The removal of the death penalty is unlikely to change much in the day-to-day lives of LGBTQ people in Sudan. Homosexuality remains a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment, and there is no protection from discrimination or hate-crimes.

Laws prohibiting same-sex sexual activity in Sudan are currently documented in the Criminal Act, 1991. Laws prohibiting Sodomy appear to have been introduced to the country in 1899, following colonisation of the region by Britain.

The history of the region now known as Sudan is long and complex. Different kingdoms and empires have ruled as the centuries have passed.Homosexuality is not a new thing in this region. It has been documented in various forms throughout Sudan’s history, both in tribal life, and the Arabian sultanates that ruled these lands.

Islamic Law was introduced to Sudan in 1983, at it appears that this is when the death penalty was introduced for homosexuality.