Guinea Sentences 17 To Life Over Deadly Ethnic Clashes

A court in Guinea has handed life terms to 17 fugitives accused of taking part in ethnic clashes in December 2020 that claimed at least 11 lives, a defence attorney said

Conakry, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2022 ) :A court in Guinea has handed life terms to 17 fugitives accused of taking part in ethnic clashes in December 2020 that claimed at least 11 lives, a defence attorney said.

Violence in the southern city of Macenta pitched members of the Toma community, who are mainly animists, against the Toma Mania ethnicity, who are predominantly Muslim.

The 17 men were convicted in absentia on Tuesday for "murder, criminal association, taking part in an insurrection, unlawful assembly and arson," said lawyer Salifou Beavogui, who is representing some of the defendants.

The court, which had been relocated to the regional capital of Nzerekore from Macenta for security reasons, also gave one-year sentences to four individuals accused of unlawful assembly, violence and illegal possession of weapons.

Ten-month terms were handed to two others for illegal detention and weapons, while 32 accused were released.

Friction between the Toma and the Toma Mania is rooted in ancient claims over the founding of Macenta, a town located near Guinea's southern border with Liberia.

Violence has broken out in recent years over disputes over land.

The 2020 clashes were sparked by the unveiling of a new house for the Toma's patriarch, local sources said at the time.