Senegalese police say they have arrested 14 people and dismantled a paedophile network operating between Senegal and France.
In a statement, police said all those arrested are Senegalese nationals and were part of a transnational criminal group that had been active since 2017. The suspects face allegations 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 coerced boys into having unprotected sex with adult men — most of whom were reportedly HIV-positive — and recorded the acts.
According to police, four of the suspects were acting on the instructions of a French national who was arrested in France in April 2025. They are accused of carrying out the crimes in exchange for money transfers sent from abroad.
The 14 suspects were brought before a judge on Friday following coordinated searches in several neighbourhoods of the capital Dakar and in Kaolack, about 200km (124 miles) south-east of the city.
In a statement released on Sunday, police said raids were conducted at the suspects’ homes, where items believed to be linked to the alleged crimes were seized.
“The Criminal Investigations Division carried out a major operation that dismantled a transnational organised criminal group with members primarily based between Senegal and France,” the statement said.
Authorities said the operation was the result of close cooperation between Senegalese and French law enforcement agencies, including the participation of a French police delegation.
Police have pledged to continue tracking and dismantling similar criminal networks and have set up a toll-free hotline for members of the public to report information related to such crimes.
