Ivory Coast Sentences Six to Life for 2020 Jihadist Attack

On Tuesday, a court in Ivory Coast sentenced six individuals to life imprisonment for their roles in a jihadist attack that occurred on June 10-11, 2020, at a military post in Kafolo, which is located near the border with Burkina Faso and Mali. The attack resulted in the deaths of 14 soldiers.

Abdoulay Ben Meit, a lawyer involved in the case, confirmed the sentences, which also included 17 other defendants receiving 20-year prison terms and a fine of 50 million CFA francs (approximately $89,000). Additionally, one person was given a five-year sentence, while 21 others were acquitted.

The attack was attributed to jihadist groups operating in the region, which have increasingly targeted coastal countries as extremist violence spreads southward from the Sahel. This incident followed a series of attacks, including a notable one in March 2021 that killed three Ivorian soldiers near the Burkina Faso border.