Defence lawyers presented their arguments on Monday in Abidjan's criminal tribunal in the trial of 45 people accused over a 2020 jihadist attack on a border checkpoint near Kafolo, a village on Côte d'Ivoire's northern frontier with Burkina Faso. The June 2020 assault, claimed by the Katiba Macina militant group, killed 14 Ivorian soldiers and is believed to have been carried out by a commando of around 30 fighters. Prosecutors had already called for life imprisonment for five defendants identified as direct perpetrators, 20-year sentences for 26 accused of providing logistical support, and acquittal for the remaining 14; defence attorneys are now seeking to have the most serious charges reduced and to secure additional acquittals.