The criminal chamber of the Thiès High Court has delivered its verdict in a case of rare gravity that shook the village of Thiaye, in the department of Tivaouane. Two men were prosecuted for rape, complicity in rape, and charlatanism, in a context involving mystical practices and domestic violence.

The case was heard on March 24, 2026. After deliberation, the court acquitted Mr. Mbengue of quackery but found him guilty of rape and complicity in rape, sentencing him to 10 years' imprisonment. Regarding his co-defendant, P. Ciss, the court acquitted him due to reasonable doubt.

A case with troubling origins

The events date back to September 2022. To make his fortune, according to the instructions of his marabout (spiritual guide), Mr. Mbengue meticulously selected two local boys, Mr. Sow and I. Niang, and forced them, including his wife, to have sexual relations in front of him, knife in hand, in his marital bedroom late at night. Mr. Mbengue was then tasked with collecting the partners' semen for mystical rituals.

When P. Ciss learned of the events, he allegedly went to the couple's home to "get his share," threatening to make public the obscene acts committed with Mr. Sow and I. Niang. Wanting to keep the matter secret, Mr. Mbengue then allegedly forced his wife to have sexual relations with P. Ciss.

In December 2022, Ms. M. Niang filed a complaint with the Thiès Research Section against her husband and P. Ciss, M. Sow, and I. Niang for gang rape. The complainant stated that her husband had forced her into sexual acts at knifepoint.

During questioning, Mr. Sow and I. Niang admitted to having sexual relations, claiming they acted under threat of the husband's knife. P. Ciss, on the other hand, denied the allegations, claiming he had only gone to the couple's home to offer advice.

The four defendants were initially remanded in custody on charges of criminal conspiracy, rape, complicity in rape, and quackery. Mr. Sow and I. Niang were subsequently released and considered victims. The husband, Mr. Mbengue, and P. Ciss were remanded in custody pending trial.

The court proceedings

In court, the complainant reiterated her accusations. She claimed that her husband had forced her to have sexual relations with the three men in their marital bed. Mr. Mbengue categorically denied the allegations, calling them "baseless" and "unacceptable."

Called as witnesses, I. Niang and M. Sow maintained their accounts, explaining that the husband had locked the door to force them to act based on mystical instructions. M. Sow specified that the victim was his own aunt.

Indictments and pleadings

The public prosecutor had requested a 15-year prison sentence for Mr. Mbengue, arguing that he had turned his wife into a "sex object." He had also requested a 7-year sentence for P. Ciss.

P. Ciss's defense, led by Mr. Diaw, argued for acquittal, emphasizing the lack of physical evidence and a medical certificate. Mr. Faty, representing Mr. Mbengue, also requested acquittal, denouncing an insufficiently substantiated case and the absence of conclusive biological evidence.