In Senegal, the trial of a vast terrorist project

The verdict fell, followed by religious acclaim translating a general relief. Dozens of talibé (Koranic students) prostrated themselves in the immense hall 4 of the courthouse of Dakar, clamoring the arms to the sky "Allahou Akbar! ". Thursday, July 19, Imam Alioune Ndao, sued in Senegal for "apology for terrorism", "criminal association in relation to a terrorist enterprise" and "money laundering" He was found innocent of almost all charges against him.

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Judge Samba Kane retained "Second Degree Weapon Detention" in reference to the pistol and cartridges found at his home in 2015 and for which he is now condemned to months of suspended sentence. The imam, criticized for his radical preaching and that investigators accused of being the ideologue of a terrorist cell rooted in West Africa is now free. The prosecution had requested a sentence of thirty years.

West African Caliphate

Of the 29 accused who appeared with him for terrorism alleged since April 9 before the criminal chamber special training, 15 were acquitted, or 7 more than the request made by the Attorney General. Most had been arrested during a major anti-terrorist operation in October 2015, which aimed to fight against religious leaders disseminating "hatred preaching" in their Senegalese mosques. Three other defendants were sentenced by the Criminal Court to fifteen years of forced labor, six to ten years and three to five years.

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By seizing computer equipment, the investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) and the Gendarmerie (SR) Research Section were able to detect in conversations about secure couriers, clues implying a terrorist Scale: The creation of a West African Caliphate based in Casamance, in the south of the country, and extending its ramifications in neighboring countries, Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. A project that would have received the support of the Nigerian jihadist sect Boko Haram and the Islamic State organization (IS).

Disciple of Imam Ndao and "brain" of this project, Matar Diokhané became, during the trial, the main accused. Known as a police force, he had previously been under surveillance for organizing in 2015 the departure of around 20 of his compatriots to join the ranks of Boko Haram in Nigeria, where they had followed paramilitary formations and participated in fights. Today, he was sentenced to the heaviest sentence: twenty years in prison for "acts of terrorism" . A conviction motivated by his central role as a fighter and recruiter.

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Matar Diokhané thus coordinated the engagement of young disciples of Imam Ndao on "the fronts of Libya, Syria, Nigeria and Niger" on behalf of terrorist organizations such as Al -Nosra, the IS and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)

Divine Blessing

"The court has not yet communicated the reasons for this decision, which seems nebulous, ] advance Alassane Cisse, lawyer of Matar Diokhané. In this case, the association of criminals was unjustifiably motivated to make it a crime of terrorism. This decision is all the more caustic because the prosecutor had dropped this charge and only retained complicity in the offense. The lawyer wishes to appeal the decision.

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In the defense of Imam Ndao, one accepts acquittal as a divine blessing. "God allowed us to have peace of mind to lead this fight and obtain his liberation, launches M ^e Moussa Sarr, coordinator of the defense of Alioune Ndao. We have always said that, in this case, there were no offending facts, only mere allegations. The prosecution has not provided any material evidence. It is normal that innocent justice my client. In pre-trial detention for two years, Imam Ndao will regain his freedom and be able to return to his religious teachings in his daara (Koranic school).