West Africa: Youth Activist Sentenced, Released After 19 Days in Detention

Jean-François Kouassi, also known as JFK, a youth leader in Côte d’Ivoire, has been convicted and sentenced to a short prison term following public criticism of alleged irregularities in civil service recruitment.

On Monday, January 26, 2026, the Plateau Court in Abidjan sentenced Kouassi, president of the Mouvement des jeunes de Côte d’Ivoire (MJCI), to 15 days’ imprisonment, eight months’ suspended imprisonment, and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (about USD 830). Having already spent more than…