Senegalese authorities have arrested 14 people and dismantled a paedophile gang operating between Senegal and France, police confirmed on Sunday.
The group, active since 2017, allegedly engaged in organised paedophilia, pimping, rape of minors under 15, sodomy, and deliberate transmission of HIV/AIDS. Victims, mostly boys, were reportedly forced to have unprotected sex with HIV-positive men, with some incidents recorded on video.
Four of the accused are believed to have acted under instructions from a French national arrested in France in April 2025, receiving money transfers in return.
Coordinated police raids were conducted across Dakar and Kaolack, 200km south-east of the capital, resulting in the seizure of items linked to the alleged crimes. All 14 suspects were presented before a judge on Friday.
“The DIC [Criminal Investigations Division] carried out a major operation, dismantling a transnational organised criminal group whose members are based primarily between France and Senegal,” the police said.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with French authorities, who sent a delegation to assist. Senegalese police have urged the public to report any information on similar networks via a toll-free hotline.
