Tassette: A shepherd severed a farmer's finger with a machete and faces three months in prison.

A conflict between a shepherd and two farmers escalated into a violent brawl in Tassette. Mr. Diouf, a shepherd residing in the village, appeared this Wednesday before the Thiès court of summary jurisdiction to answer charges of violence and intentional assault and battery (CBV) committed against farmers E. Sène and I. Ngom.

The defendant is accused of assaulting I. Ngom and of cutting off one of E. Sène's fingers with a machete.

In court, Mr. Diouf admitted to injuring both plaintiffs. However, he disputed the origin of the dispute. According to him, his cattle had not entered the farmers' field. He explained that it was I. Ngom who brandished a machete to attack him. The herder claims he managed to retrieve the weapon before retaliating.

This version was disputed by I. Ngom. He explained that the accused had brought his cattle into his field. "E. Sène came to call me. I went to chase away the animals before going to look for the owner, who was hiding in the grass," he told the court.

According to the plaintiff, when he finally encountered the shepherd, he asked him to leave the area with his cattle. It was at this moment, he says, that Mr. Diouf brandished his machete to attack him.

"He hit me on the arm, but it didn't cut me. He then turned to E. Sène and hit him. He severed his finger," he testified.

I. Ngom claimed 600,000 FCFA in damages. E. Sène, for his part, requested 700,000 FCFA.

In his closing arguments, the deputy public prosecutor argued that the charges against the shepherd were substantiated. He therefore requested a three-month prison sentence for Mr. Diouf.

The court has taken the case under advisement.