This case has sparked outrage in Abidjan. A family vault, meant to be the final resting place of the deceased, has been transformed into a squat and a sewing workshop. The most shocking aspect? The caretaker, paid by the family, is allegedly the mastermind behind this macabre business.

What was supposed to be a routine visit for reflection and maintenance turned into a real-life B-movie for a family from Abidjan. Upon arriving at their property, they discovered that their family tomb was no longer the sanctuary of their ancestors, but an inhabited studio apartment.

The scene on site was surreal. Clothes hung up, sleeping mats were scattered about, kitchen utensils were used, and, adding insult to injury, a working sewing workshop was in operation. Homeless people had taken over the place, going about their daily lives there in total disregard for the sanctity of the dead.

According to testimonies gathered, these individuals did not break in. They reportedly benefited from a very specific "authorization".

The investigation reveals a sordid aspect of the informal management of the cemetery. The family regularly paid money to a caretaker to look after the plot. But instead of protecting the memory of the deceased, the man allegedly transformed the vault into a rental property .

Taking advantage of the owners' prolonged absence, he allegedly collected rent from these squatters, transforming a place of mourning into a source of illicit income. A double betrayal for the family who were paying for security that, in reality, facilitated the desecration.

This case has brought the chaotic situation at the Williamsville cemetery back into the spotlight. Despite its official closure and the numerous eviction operations carried out by the Autonomous District of Abidjan, the site seems to be slipping out of the authorities' control. Between growing insecurity and recurring desecrations, the question of cemetery management in the economic capital is more pressing than ever.

The caretaker and the squatters will have to answer for their actions before the appropriate authorities. But for the family, the trauma is profound: the trauma of having seen the privacy of their deceased violated by the very people who were paid to protect them.