Ivory Coast: at the trial of the Grand-Bassam attack, a first accused heard
The trial of the Grand-Bassam attack opened on Wednesday, November 30 in the presence of four defendants.
AFP - SIA KAMBOU
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The trial of the alleged perpetrators of the Grand-Bassam attack began this Wednesday, November 30 in Abidjan.
On March 13, 2016, the attack in this seaside resort killed 19 people.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan,
Bineta Diagne
This first day of hearing made it possible to get to the heart of the matter, with the hearing of a first accused,
Mohamed Cisse.
The man presents himself as a driver residing in the town of Port-Bouet where Kounta Dallah, considered one of the masterminds of the attack, rented a house in early 2016. "
He is a marabout, a very respected family in Mali
", specifies Mohamed Cissé, to justify the choice of his client.
Mohamed Cissé recounts having taken him to the beach of Grand-Bassam, in the company of another person.
He also claims to have brought him back to the airport the day after the attack.
Kounta Dallah would then have given him the vehicle in which the weapons had been hidden, before returning to Bamako.
Jostled by questions from the president of the court, Mohamed Cissé claims to have confined himself to his work.
“
I am a driver, I make a living from driving
,” he explains.
Six and a half years after the attack that killed 19 people in the seaside resort of Grand-Bassam, 18 have been tried since Wednesday for murder, attempted murder, acts of terrorism, concealment of criminals, assault and battery. volunteers with firearms, illegal possession of firearms and munitions of war.
But this afternoon, only four defendants were present at the criminal court in Abidjan.
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To read also: The trial of the terrorist attack in Grand-Bassam opens in Côte d'Ivoire
In addition to Mohamed Cissé, appeared a person who would have hosted the alleged terrorists, and two others who would have helped to identify.
All were arrested a few days after the attack and are suspected of having been linked to Kounta Dallah, accused of having “supervised the attack from start to finish”.
Kounta Dallah is on the run.
Other notable absentees: Cheikh Aïdara, described as being the “ideologist” of the group, and Mimi Ould Baba, presented as being “the direct leader of Kounta Dallah”.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
It will resume on Thursday.
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