Ivory Coast court sentences former PM to life in prison

An Ivory Coast court has sentenced prominent opposition figure and former prime minister Guillaume Soro to life in prison for “undermining the security of the state.”

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- An Ivory Coast court has sentenced prominent opposition figure and former prime minister Guillaume Soro to life in prison for “undermining the security of the state.” The criminal court in the West African country's largest city, Abidjan, also ordered the dissolution of Soro’s political movement, which was created after he resigned as speaker of the legislature in 2019. Soro, who lives in exile in France, was tried in absentia. An international arrest warrant has been issued against Soro and five others living outside the country. The former president of the National Assembly and 19 others were prosecuted for an “attempt to attack the authority of the state” as well as “dissemination of false information” that discredited the institution and its functions.