In Côte d’Ivoire, the trial into the Kafolo attacks entered a decisive phase on Monday, December 22, before the Abidjan Court of First Instance. The aim is to shed full light on the deaths of thirteen soldiers and one gendarme, killed when their border post was attacked by jihadist fighters. The events date back to June 10, 2020, near the border with Burkina Faso. Around forty men are standing trial for “terrorist acts.” At this stage of the proceedings, however, the hearings are raising more questions than answers.

A first key question before the Abidjan Court of First Instance is what actually triggered the Kafolo attack on June 11, 2020. Addressing the defendants, the presiding judge referred to Operation Comoé, conducted in May 2020, which led to the destruction of several jihadist bases in this border area. The Kafolo attack, which occurred a month later, is believed to have been a retaliatory operation. Yet at the stand, the defendants’ accounts remain vague, with some even backtracking on earlier statements.

There has also been little clarification regarding the links between the accused and Sahelian jihadist groups. During questioning, the name Dramane Sidibé, also known as Hamza, repeatedly comes up. This Burkinabè national is said to belong to the Macina katiba, affiliated with JNIM (the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims). According to the prosecution, he allegedly set up the cells behind the attack. However, the defendants questioned claim they do not know him.

Another major uncertainty concerns possible accomplices. How did some of the accused assist the attackers—by warning them about security sweeps or by providing financial support? For Mohamed Lamine Koné, one of the defense lawyers, it is still too early to draw conclusions.

“Some defendants were arrested before the attacks, others afterward. But this is the trial of all those suspected of having ‘flirted’ with jihadist movements. Some were arrested solely because they have relatives who are involved. That’s a rather weak assumption,” he said.

Ali Sidibé, One of the Alleged Coordinators of the Kafolo Attack

Among the defendants, Ali Sidibé, also known as Sofiane, is presented as one of the coordinators of the attack. Seated before the judges in handcuffs, with a dark zabiba mark on his forehead, a full beard, and wearing a qamis down to his knees, the man—who describes himself as a “Fulani cattle herder”—is at the center of the proceedings.

According to the investigation file, his cattle enclosure, located on the other side of the border, allegedly served as a supply point for the attackers. Before the court, he even claimed to have taken part in the June 10, 2020 attack, without providing further details. “Are you a jihadist?” the presiding judge asked him. “Yes,” he replied, with a faint smile.

The court is also questioning how Ali Sidibé managed to evade the Ivorian army for several days after the attack. Before the judges, he remained evasive, but the investigation points to several nocturnal cross-border movements.

One of the major stakes of this trial will therefore be to establish the networks of complicity, the financing channels, and the links between the Kafolo attackers and jihadist groups active in the Sahel. The defendants face possible life imprisonment.

Hearings are scheduled to resume on January 5, 2026.