Ivory Coast: Burkinabè "coordinator" suspected of the attack on Kafolo

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The "retaliatory" operation, launched the day after the attack in order to find those responsible, resulted in the arrest of "thirty" "combatants, intelligence agents or logisticians", according to the authorities. Among those arrested is this man, a Burkinabè, presented as the "coordinator" of the commando mission. 

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With our correspondent in Abidjan, François Hume-Ferkatadji

His name is Sidibé Ali, known as "Sofiane", but information about him is still patchy. The man who is presented as one of the leaders of the Kafolo attack is of Burkinabè nationality. He did not have time to cross the border during his flight, since he was arrested in Côte d'Ivoire, according to the Ivorian authorities. He is currently in the hands of the intelligence services.

Is it part of an identified terrorist group? The Chief of the Defense Staff, Lassina Doumbia, was elusive about this individual. Defense Minister Hamed Bakayoko said “  await the conclusions of the public prosecutor's investigation  ” to find out the pedigree of this fighter. Information all the more important since the attack on Kafolo was not claimed, even if the katiba Macina of Amadou Koufa, affiliated to the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), itself affiliated in Al-Qaeda, is strongly suspected of being behind it.

"  Who other than an organized armed group can mount such a sophisticated operation on the border of two countries?  "Wonders Rinaldo Depagne, a researcher at the International Crisis Group, who speaks of an" audacious  " attack  , which"  takes the target by two to three different points with a heavy toll  ".

For Lassina Diarra, a specialist in terrorist movements in West Africa, the lack of demands is frequent "  terrorist groups seek to leave doubt and suspicion hanging, and this contributes to further fragmenting society  ".

According to a final report, the attack on the Kafolo mixed post on June 11 in northern Côte d'Ivoire left 13 military victims.

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• Ivory Coast
• Terrorism

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