Mr. Camara, a 40-year-old Guinean national, is on trial this Tuesday before the criminal chamber of the Thiès High Court. He is being prosecuted for rape, pedophilia, and abduction of a minor. The victim is S. Gadiaga, a two-year-old girl. The events took place in the Mbour 1 neighborhood of Thiès.

According to the investigation, on April 9, 2024, Ms. MD Sène filed a complaint with the police against Mr. Camara for sexually assaulting her daughter. She explained to investigators that upon returning from the market around 8:00 p.m., she found her child unusually lethargic, having neither eaten nor stopped crying. The following day, the child was experiencing severe difficulty relieving herself. Upon a cursory examination of her genitals, the mother stated that she had observed injuries to her vagina.

She then took her child to the Mariama Sarr health post, and then to the regional hospital in Thiès. Medical examinations revealed lesions on the vulvar lips consistent with sexual touching, although the hymen was not torn.

The investigation established that the victim regularly went to the room of Mr. Camara, a tenant in the family compound, under the pretext of picking fruit. On the day of the incident, after the other children had left the room, Mr. Camara found himself alone with the little girl. It was in these circumstances that he allegedly sexually abused her.

The cleaning lady, MD Diop, stated that she heard cries of distress coming from the accused's room at the time of the incident and that she saw him leaving with the child under the pretext that she was hungry.

In court, the defendant denied the charges, while acknowledging that he was the only man present in the house. He also stated that the children regularly visited his room. "I am not the one who inflicted these vulvar wounds. Having a sexual relationship with this little girl never crossed my mind. When the child was crying and her mother called out to me, I told her that I never laid a hand on her," Mr. Camara argued in his defense.

During the preliminary investigation, the mother stated that her daughter was so attached to Mr. Camara that every time he came home, she would lift his clothes, showing him her private parts while saying in Wolof, "Momo tate ya ngui ni." The defendant denied these statements before the judge.

But for the public prosecutor, there is insufficient evidence to convict the defendant. No proof accuses Mr. Camara of being responsible for the girl's vulvar injuries. He requested his acquittal.

Defense attorney Mbodj argued that the accusations were baseless and that there was no tangible evidence. He maintained that Mr. Camara was accused simply because he was the only man in the house. The defense believes the court cannot rely on the medical certificate to conclude that sexual touching occurred. Mr. Mbodj suggested the child might have injured herself by scratching her vagina before requesting his client's outright acquittal.

The verdict is scheduled for May 11, 2026.