In Côte d’Ivoire, Koné Kamagaté Souleymane, widely known as Soul To Soul, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Abidjan Court of First Instance.
A close ally of former National Assembly President Guillaume Soro, Soul To Soul serves as vice-president of the GPS political movement.
He was convicted on charges including money laundering, though his defence team has denounced what they describe as procedural irregularities during the trial.
The ruling is expected to heighten political tensions ahead of the October presidential election.
