A court in Ivory Coast has handed life sentences to six individuals convicted over a 2020 attack that killed 14 soldiers.
The attack took place in the northeastern village of Kafolo, near the country’s border with Burkina Faso and Mali – areas increasingly affected by Islamist extremist violence spreading from the Sahel.
Lawyer, Abdoulaye Ben Meite, said six of the 45 defendants received life sentences, while 17 others were jailed for 20 years and fined 50 million CFA francs (about $89,000).
One defendant was given a five-year sentence, while 21 others were acquitted.
Armed men carried out the overnight attack on June 10–11, 2020, targeting the Kafolo military post. Although no group claimed responsibility, authorities blamed jihadists operating across the border in Burkina Faso, reportedly in retaliation for a joint Ivorian-Burkinabe operation against extremist groups.
In another incident in March 2021, three soldiers were killed in attacks on positions near the Burkina Faso border, with Kafolo among the affected areas.
Ivory Coast has also experienced previous high-profile attacks, including the 2016 assault on the seaside town of Grand-Bassam, where 19 people were killed.
