This archive report was first published on 24 June 2021.
On June 23, 2021, a court in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, handed down a life sentence to former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro for his involvement in a plot to overthrow President Alassane Ouattara.
Guillaume Soro, who helped President Ouattara take power about a decade ago, was accused of conspiracy, attempting to undermine the state, and spreading false news that damaged public morale.
He was tried in absentia alongside 19 other co-defendants, all members of his Generations and Solidarity Movement.
Two of his co-defendants, Souleymane Kamagate and Affoussy Bamba, received 20-year jail terms, while three others, including two of Soro's brothers and a former aide, were sentenced to 17 months in prison.
The court also ordered the confiscation of Soro's assets and those of his co-defendants, as well as the dissolution of his political grouping, the Generations and Solidarity Movement, which was found guilty of subversive acts.
The convicts were fined a combined $179 million to be paid to the Ivorian government.
