Six individuals receive life sentences for 2020 jihadist attack in Côte d'Ivoire
via SeneNews4 min read
Six people have been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Abidjan court for their involvement in a 2020 jihadist attack that resulted in the deaths of fourteen Ivorian soldiers. The attack occurred at a border post in Kafolo, northeastern Côte d'Ivoire. According to Me Abdoulaye Ben Méité, lawyer for the civil parties, these six were among 45 defendants tried in the case, and were convicted of "terrorist acts." Additionally, seventeen defendants received 20-year prison sentences and fines of 50 million CFA francs approximately 76,000 euros for secondary roles in the attack. One other accused was sentenced to 5 years for minor participation, while 21 individuals were acquitted. The attack, which took place on the night of June 10-11, 2020, involved armed men targeting a military post in Kafolo, a village near the border with Burkina Faso. Although no group claimed responsibility, the attack was attributed to jihadists operating from Burkina Faso, believed to be in retaliation for the "Comoé" operation by Ivorian and Burkinabe armies to dislodge jihadists from the region. Côte d'Ivoire, a West African coastal nation, shares its northern border with Burkina Faso and Mali, both affected by jihadist groups. The country has largely managed to contain the jihadist threat, with the Kafolo incident being one of the few such violent events it has experienced. Previous attacks include one in March 2021 near the Burkina Faso border, which killed three soldiers, and a March 2016 attack in
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