Gambian President Yahya Jammeh on
Tuesday described gays as “vermin.”
According to Reuters,
Jammeh made his latest statement attacking gays during a televised
speech to mark the 49th anniversary of Gambia's
independence from Britain.
“We will fight these vermins called
homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing
mosquitoes, if not more aggressively,” Jammeh is quoted as saying.
Western nations, including the U.S. and
Britain, have condemned increasing anti-gay rhetoric from African
leaders and new laws in Nigeria and Uganda that increase the
penalties against people who engage in gay sex.
(Related: Obama
on Uganda anti-gay bill: “Will complicate our valued relationship
with Uganda.”)
“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,” Jammeh said. “As far as I am concerned, LGBT can
only stand for Leprosy, Gonorrhea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis; all of
which are detrimental to human existence.”
Last year, Jammeh
called homosexuality a top global threat.