Gambiaj.com – (Dakar, Senegal) – Senegalese authorities have arrested four senior officials of the American Dara Academy, a private Quranic boarding school on the outskirts of Dakar, following allegations of physical abuse against minor students, including American nationals.
The arrests, carried out on Monday, January 19, came after the United States Embassy in Dakar formally referred the case to the Senegalese justice system. In a letter dated January 12, 2026, the embassy alerted the public prosecutor of Pikine–Guédiawaye to serious allegations of assaults on the physical integrity of American minors enrolled at the institution.
The American Dara Academy operates in the localities of Keur Massar and Toubab Dialao and presents itself as an Anglophone daara offering Quranic education alongside an American-style curriculum for English-speaking students.
According to the report, concerns first emerged in August 2025 when a student who managed to flee the school contacted U.S. consular services to report abuse. A second alert was raised in December by another boarder, who also reported violent treatment of several children.
When Senegalese police visited the school in January, four students aged between 13 and 16 confirmed the existence of what investigators describe as a “harsh and punitive disciplinary system“.
A source close to the investigation said punishments allegedly included beatings with sticks or metal rods. The same source cited the presence of an isolation room where students accused of serious infractions were reportedly locked up, as well as the absence of any child protection mechanisms within the institution.
The U.S. Embassy has declined to disclose the number of victims involved.
The four officials arrested were placed in pre-trial detention and charged with operating a private educational establishment without proper authorization, as well as with voluntary assault and battery against minors. The accused have strongly denied all allegations.
The case adds to ongoing scrutiny in Senegal over the treatment of children in certain Quranic schools, particularly amid repeated reports of abuse and inadequate oversight in some private religious institutions.
