Malicks Kamandie is a member of the AIT that Coulibaly led, and was one of Coulibaly’s friends. He was among the hundreds of people who paid tribute to Coulibaly at his home before his body was repatriated to the Ivory Coast.



We gathered in his home to welcome his body and to pay our last respects. We wanted to honour all the work he did to help sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia. We then accompanied his coffin to the airport.



Falikou was like a brother to everyone. His work helped the entire sub-Saharan African community. He was a real fighter. So, it would have felt like a betrayal if we had just stayed at home.

His murder sparked an unprecedented mobilisation among Ivorians living in Tunisia. On December 24, several hundred protesters gathered in front of Mongi Slim Hospital, where Coulibaly died, and marched to the Ivorian embassy. On December 25, they gathered on Bourguiba Avenue, which is located in the centre of the capital, to protest against violence targeting sub-Saharan Africans and the lack of response from Tunisian authorities.





This protest was held on Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis on December 25.

A banner held at the protest on Tunis's Bourguiba Avenue on December 25.