Thiès: The chilling story of a 19-year-old student on trial for having an illegal abortion with her boyfriend

The Thiès court of summary jurisdiction examined on Wednesday the case of an illegal abortion involving S. Siby, a 19-year-old student in her final year of middle school, her aunt NO Sarr, and her boyfriend PA Ndao, a 37-year-old motorcycle taxi driver. The young woman and her boyfriend are being prosecuted for an illegal abortion, while the aunt is being charged with obstructing justice.

At the hearing, S. Siby admitted to the facts. She explained that she had become pregnant by PA Ndao. According to her account, when she told her partner about her pregnancy, he suggested she have an abortion, explaining that he could not raise a child.

The young girl claims, however, that she initially refused. She recounts that one day, suffering from abdominal pain, she alerted PA Ndao, who invited her to his home before giving her medication.

“He brought me into his room and gave me some medication which I took. Then he locked me in the room and left me there alone. He came back later, when I was bleeding,” the defendant revealed.

After taking the product, she said she experienced severe pain, then began bleeding before losing the fetus. According to her statement, her boyfriend then flushed the embryo down the toilet.

The boyfriend admits to buying the medication online

In turn, PA Ndao admitted to the charges against him. He confessed to giving the young woman the medication with the intention of terminating her pregnancy. The motorcycle taxi driver stated that he had purchased the products online for 30,000 FCFA.

NO Sarr, presented as a matron and the girl's aunt, is being prosecuted for obstruction of justice. She is suspected of having tried to conceal the circumstances of the abortion.

In court, she denied the accusations. She claimed that she was unaware the girl was bleeding and that she preferred to take her to a midwife rather than to the hospital.

A case revealed after a report from medical staff

The facts came to light on September 1, 2026, after the student was hospitalized. According to the investigation, S. Siby, who was about four months pregnant, had taken abortifacients.

After experiencing severe abdominal pain and significant bleeding, she was taken to a hospital. Her condition deteriorated, and she was readmitted and placed under observation.

Intrigued by her clinical presentation, the medical staff wanted to perform a pelvic ultrasound. The young woman refused the examination before leaving the facility, which led hospital officials to alert the police.

The investigation carried out by the central police station in Thiès then made it possible to trace the student's boyfriend and aunt.

The prosecution's submissions and deliberation are scheduled for September 16th.

In his closing arguments, the public prosecutor concluded that the three defendants were guilty. He requested a three-month suspended sentence for S. Siby and a one-month suspended sentence for his aunt, NO Sarr. For PA Ndao, the prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 FCFA.

The case has been adjourned for deliberation and will be decided on September 16, 2026.

As a reminder, S. Siby had already been at the center of a previous legal case in July 2025, after accusing his biological father of rape, an accusation which led to the latter being detained.

In this abortion case, PA Ndao and NO Sarr were placed under arrest warrant, while S. Siby was granted provisional release due to his fragile health condition.

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Ablaye Gadiaga SARR