A military court in Ivory Coast on
Thursday sentenced three soldiers loyal to ex-president
Laurent Gbagbo to life in prison over the 2002 murder
of a former junta leader.
General Robert Guei was shot dead on September 19,
2002, during a failed coup against Gbagbo's regime.
His wife, several members of his family and his
personal guards were killed that same day.
Guei had led a military junta that ruled the west African
nation from December 1999 to October 2000, when
Gbagbo defeated him at the polls.
Following a trial that last nearly a month, the court-
martial found ex-security chief Anselme Seka Yapo
guilty of murder, while Gbagbo's former Republican
Guard commander Brunot Dogbo Ble as well as
sergeant Daleba Sery were ruled to have acted as
accomplices.
Of the 19 defendants on trial over the murder, six were
sentenced to 10 years in prison. The others were
acquitted.
During the trial, prosecutors accused Seka Yapo of
firing the fatal shot.
Lawyers for the defence have said they intend to
appeal the verdict, citing a lack of evidence of their
clients' guilt.
"I am disappointed but not discouraged," said lawyer
Modeste Abie. "We believe that our clients do not
deserve life terms."
Seka Yapo was last year already sentenced to 20 years
in prison for murder committed during the country's
post-election crisis in 2010-2011.
Dogbo Ble was sentenced in 2012 to 15 years in jail for
complicity in the murder of a retired officer, and last
year to another 20 years for his role in the 2010-2011
violence.
Some 3,000 people were killed after the disputed
presidential vote in late 2010, when Gbagbo refused to
relinquish power after being narrowly defeated in his
bid for re-election.
He is currently on trial at the International Criminal
Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity over
the violence.
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