On Monday, June 8, a Senegalese court handed down an unprecedented 20-year prison sentence to Serigne Khadim Mbacké, a Quranic teacher from a highly influential maraboutic lineage. He was found guilty of rape and child sexual abuse against 28 of his students in Touba, a city located 200 kilometers from the capital, Dakar. This verdict marks a major turning point in a country that only criminalized rape in 2020.

The outbreak of the "Keur Gol" affair

The case broke in March 2023 in a disadvantaged neighborhood of Touba. A 15-year-old girl expressed her desire to leave her Koranic school to become a cleaning woman. Alarmed by this sudden request, her mother questioned her youngest daughter, aged 11. The latter broke her silence and revealed the repeated rapes suffered by the two sisters at the hands of their teacher, who had been living in the neighborhood since 2017.

In discussions with other parents, the mother discovered that the pattern was repeating itself. In total, around fifty victims, aged 7 to 16, were identified. Despite intense financial and familial pressure to suppress the scandal, the parents of 28 girls decided to take legal action.

An accused man in denial in the face of medical evidence

The medical reports presented in court provided overwhelming evidence:

1. 18 certificates attesting to a loss of virginity.
2. 10 certificates confirming physical injuries.

After fleeing, the accused surrendered to police in June 2023, claiming a conspiracy. During the hearing, confronted with the poignant testimonies of 26 victims, Serigne Khadim Mbacké maintained his denials. The judge nevertheless followed the prosecution's recommendations, imposing the maximum sentence. For Kandiack François Senghor, the lawyer representing the victims, this is the largest case of child sexual abuse ever tried in Senegal's history.

A decisive step against impunity and social taboo

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International Senegal, welcome this as a strong signal sent to society.

“This is a victory [...] that demonstrates that the law will strike without distinction, whether it concerns an ordinary person or someone in a position of authority.” — Oumou Sya Sadio, Child Protection Officer at Amnesty International Senegal

This conviction shakes a deeply entrenched social code of silence in Senegal, where sexual violence is often settled out of court under community pressure. Following this verdict, Amnesty International reiterates its call to the Senegalese state to:

1. Establish a national program of regular inspections in Quranic schools.
2. To definitively adopt the bill governing the status of these establishments.