Court acquits gendarmes

A military tribunal on Friday acquitted eight gendarmes of murder in connection with the discovery of 57 bodies in the Abidjan suburb of Yopougon following post-election unrest in late October 2000. The gendarmes, who included one major and seven non-commissioned officers, were found “not guilty for lack of evidence”, the BBC quoted the tribunal’s judge as saying.

On Thursday, government prosecutor Ange Kessy had asked the court to sentence the men to life in prison. Few people testified at the trial, which lasted five days.

Several human rights organisations and investigation teams, including one from the United Nations, concur that the gendarmerie bear the greatest responsibility for the October killings. The trial had been set as a prerequisite for a resumption of financial aid from the European Union and other donors, and for a national reconciliation conference.

One of the lawyers’ for the plaintiff, Ibrahima Doumbia, told IRIN that the court’ decision was “foreseeable”. He said the eight were only scapegoats and the real culprits still needed to be brought to justice.