Senegalese police say they have arrested 14 people and dismantled a paedophile network operating between Senegal and France.
According to a police statement, all those arrested are Senegalese nationals and were members of what authorities described as a transnational criminal group that has allegedly been active since 2017.
The suspects are accused of offences including organised paedophilia, pimping, rape of minors under the age of 15, sodomy, and the intentional transmission of HIV/AIDS. Investigators allege that the group repeatedly forced underage boys to engage in sexual acts with adult men, many of whom were reportedly HIV-positive, and recorded the abuse.
Police said four of the suspects were acting under the direction of a French national, who was arrested in France in April 2025. The four are alleged to have carried out instructions in exchange for money transfers.
The suspects were brought before a judge on Friday following coordinated searches conducted in several neighbourhoods of Dakar and in Kaolack, a city about 200 kilometres south-east of the capital.
In a statement released on Sunday, police said the raids led to the seizure of items believed to be connected to the alleged crimes.
“The Criminal Investigations Division (DIC) carried out a major operation, dismantling a transnational organised criminal group whose members are based primarily between France and Senegal,” the statement said.
The operation was conducted in close cooperation with French authorities, with a delegation of French police officers participating in the investigation.
Senegalese police have pledged to continue efforts to track down and dismantle similar criminal networks. They have also provided a toll-free hotline for members of the public to report information related to such crimes.
