Land disputes in the Kénédougou province are recurrent. And precisely, one of the files filed this Tuesday, February 20, 2024 during the criminal proceedings of the Bobo-Dioulasso Court of Appeal concerned a story of field delimitation in the village of Samogohiri, 26 km from Orodara.
Old Salif (not his real name) appeared at the bar to explain the facts of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm reclassified as attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm. The facts date back to November 27, 2021. Old Salif, aged 67 and father of four children, lived alone in his farming hamlet of Samogohiri. His two sons live abroad and the two daughters are married According to his explanations, everything started from a problem of delimitation of field which opposed him to Madou (assumed name). The latter would have returned from Ivory Coast and did not agree on the limit of his field. According to Madou, old Salif occupied part of their family field. The matter was brought to the customary authorities who struggled to find a solution. This is how on the morning of November 27, 2021, an altercation occurred between the two protagonists in the said fields. Old Salif would have used his 12 caliber hunting weapon to open fire on his opponent. Injured, he was rushed to the CSPS in Samogohiri then to the CMA in Orodara before being evacuated to the CHUSS in Bobo-Dioulasso where he was saved.
According to the general prosecutor’s office, the medical report mentions that the victim had received thirty-nine pellets in the left part of the body (thorax, abdomen and lower limbs). For him, the victim was able to regain life not only thanks to the experience of the medical profession, but above all the clumsiness of the accused. In addition, old Salif did not hold any legal document for his weapon. Anything that reinforces the public prosecutor’s view of his guilt in the facts he is accused of. Considering that the offenses with which the accused is accused are constituted but with mitigating circumstances. On this, he requested a prison sentence of 5 years, including 2 years suspended. The defense lawyer, for his part, pleaded for kind treatment of his client given his age and also his dozo status in the commune of Samogohiri. According to him, his client did not intend to kill, otherwise he would have returned to the scene to finish him off. The victim claimed reimbursement for his medical expenses as damages.
At the end of the contradictory debates, the Court found old Salif guilty of having attempted the life of Madou and of illegally possessing a firearm. Consequently, she sentenced him to 5 years of imprisonment, including 3 years. Furthermore, the accused must reimburse the victim the sum of 175,000 CFA francs representing medical expenses.
Djibrilou DIALLO/ Orodara
