Gambia lashes out at Western criticism of its anti-gay law, says it won't accept gays for aid

DAKAR, Senegal – The Gambian government is lashing out at Western donor nations that have criticized a new law that punishes some homosexual acts with life in prison.

The European Union and the United States recently expressed dismay at the law and discrimination against gay people in the West African country. Both provide aid to impoverished Gambia and have used that position to encourage respect for human rights.

But in a nationally televised address late Saturday, Gambian Foreign Minister Bala Garba Jahumpa warned that the government would not allow acceptance of gay people to be a pre-condition for receiving aid "no matter how much aid is involved." He said the government would not "entertain any dialogue on the issue with the European Union or any other foreign power."