Aboulaye Traore Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Rape Conviction

Former Ivory Coast international footballer Aboulaye Traore has been sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of rape, according to judicial sources.

The former striker was convicted over an incident involving non-consensual sexual relations with a 21-year-old woman, which reportedly took place in March 2021. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by a court in Bouaké.

The ruling was also confirmed by the Ivorian League for Women’s Rights, which described the judgment as a “significant advance in the fight against impunity for sexual and sexist violence” in Côte d'Ivoire.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Traore to pay 15 million CFA francs (approximately $26,700) in compensation to the victim. He was also handed a five-year restriction preventing him from entering the central region where the offence occurred.