An Ivorian court has handed down life sentences to six men for their roles in a jihadist attack that killed 14 soldiers at a border post in 2020, marking one of the most significant terrorism rulings in the country's history. The antiterrorism section of the Abidjan tribunal delivered its verdict on Monday, concluding a trial that lasted more than a year and involved 45 defendants. The judges went further than prosecutors had requested, sentencing six men — identified as direct combatants and perpetrators of the assault — to life imprisonment, while prosecutors had sought that sentence for only five.

The attack took place overnight on 10–11 June 2020, when a group of around 30 armed men crossed from Burkina Faso to strike a military checkpoint in Kafolo, a village in northeastern Ivory Coast near the Burkinabé border. The assault was later claimed by Katiba Macina, an al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group active in the Sahel region. Of the 45 defendants tried, 17 were sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 50 million CFA francs (roughly $89,000) for providing logistical support to the attackers, one received a five-year term, and 21 were acquitted. Lawyer Abdoulaye Ben Meïté, representing the civil parties, called the ruling