In a case which shakes the tranquility of Tivaouane Peulh, Malick Ba, a 51-year-old Koranic master, is facing serious accusations of pedophilia, embezzlement of a minor and rape, according to L’Observateur. Yesterday, Tuesday, the Dakar Criminal Chamber heard the damning testimonies of three young girls, MD Sylla, I. Sall and K. Ndiaye, who were under his guardianship in his Koranic school.
The accusations against Malick Ba are serious. The three students, aged between 11 and 13, claim to have been victims of sexual abuse during their Koran learning sessions. MD Sylla says she was forced to join Ba in her room under various pretexts, where she suffered sexual violence, sometimes at knifepoint. K. Ndiaye and F. Sall report similar abuses, although the actions against F. Sall did not include penetration.
Defense
Malick Ba fiercely denies these accusations, calling them a plot orchestrated by the mother of one of the complainants, opposed to the registration of her child in Ba’s “daara”. However, the public prosecutor was not convinced by this defense, requesting a sentence of 10 years of criminal imprisonment for the proven facts.
The Trial
The variations in the complainants’ stories, between touching and penetration, were attributed by the prosecution to infantile psychology, incapable of always distinguishing the precise details of the abuse suffered. The defense criticizes this interpretation, highlighting the absence of material evidence.
The hearing was marked by intense debates, and the Criminal Chamber set the deliberations for January 7, casting a shadow over the community of Tivaouane Peulh awaiting justice for these young victims.
This case, revealed by L’Observateur, raises profound questions about the safety of children in religious institutions and illustrates the complexity of prosecuting sexual violence against minors.
