Ivory Coast Hands Former Prime Minister Soro Life Sentence

Former Ivorian Prime Minister and ex-rebel leader Guillaume Soro has been sentenced in his absence in Abidjan to life in prison for “undermining state security” for acts committed in late 2019.

The Abidjan court of assizes followed the prosecution’s demands, as for the other main defendants, Souleymane Kamagate, former head of protocol of Mr. Soro, Affoussy Bamba, former minister and Toure Moussa, his former head of communication, sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Two of Guillaume Soro’s brothers and his former right-hand man Alain Lobognon were sentenced to 17 months in prison for disturbing public order.

The court also ordered the confiscation of the property of Guillaume Soro and his 19 co-defendants, as well as the dissolution of his movement, Générations et peuples solidaires , accused of engaging in “subversive” acts.

It ordered the convicts to pay 150 million euros jointly to the Ivorian state.

The former prime minister and former president of the National Assembly was accused of having fomented with his supporters a “civil and military insurrection” to overthrow the power during his aborted return to Côte d’Ivoire in December 2019, ten months before the presidential election of October 2020.

Guillaume Soro, who lives in exile, and his co-defendants were accused of “conspiracy”, “attempted attack against the authority of the state” as well as “dissemination and publication of false news discrediting the institutions and their functioning, having led to an attack on the morale of the population”.

Leader of the rebellion that controlled the northern half of Côte d’Ivoire in the 2000s, Guillaume Soro had militarily helped Alassane Ouattara come to power during the post-election crisis of 2010-2011 against incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to admit defeat at the ballot box.