The West African country of Gambia has come under fire of late for its president’s remarks regarding homosexuality in the country, which has long been a dangerous place for homosexuals. In November, President Yahya Jammeh approved a law that would punish homosexuality with life in prison.

Vice News reported on Monday, May 11 that President (read: Dictator) Yahya Jammeh recently intensified his anti-homosexual stance by declaring that he would slit the throats of homosexual Gambian men. Jammeh punctuated his remarks saying, “If you are a man and want to marry another man in this country and we catch you, no one will ever set eyes on you again, and no white person can do anything about it.”

But Jammeh’s homophobic rhetoric dates back years, in fact many regard the Gambian President, who rose to power through a coup in 1994, as one of Africa’s most outspoken leaders against homosexuality. In January, the International Business Times reported that Jammeh said in a speech, “All empires before collapsed (sic) not at the time they were weakest, but at the peak of their might and when they equated themselves with the Almighty Allah. So this evil empire of homosexuals will also go down the dirty drain and garbage of hell.“