In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across the idyllic French island of Corsica, Alain Orsoni, a prominent Corsican nationalist figure, was gunned down during his own mother’s funeral service. The 71-year-old, who had recently returned from exile in Nicaragua, was killed by a single shot fired from nearby scrubland as the ceremony was underway in the small village of Vero, just a short drive from the island’s capital, Ajaccio.
This latest tragedy is the latest in a long line of violent incidents that have plagued Corsica in recent years, with 35 people fatally shot on the island of 350,000 residents over the past three years alone, earning it one of the highest murder rates in France. The island has become all too familiar with the cycle of vendetta and tit-for-tat underworld shootings, but even by Corsican standards, the brazen nature of Orsoni’s killing has left the community in a state of shock.
“A cemetery is sacred in Corsica, just like a church. Never have I witnessed someone being murdered while accompanying their mother to their final resting place,” lamented Orsoni’s close friend, Jo Peraldi, in an interview with Corsican radio.
Orsoni, who had a long history of involvement in the Corsican nationalist movement, including a 15-year stint in jail for organising bomb attacks against symbols of the French state, was a prominent figure on the island. His death has resonated far beyond Corsica, with the Orsoni family being a household name on the island, long linked to both nationalism and episodes of violence.
Experts say the nature of the violence on Corsica has evolved in recent years, with former armed separatist groups turning to organised crime after giving up their violent campaigns for autonomy or independence. “Once armed groups gave up their violent campaign for autonomy or independence, they kept their weapons and turned to organised crime instead,” explained Thierry Dominici, an expert on Corsican nationalism at the University of Bordeaux.
The investigation into Orsoni’s killing is being led by judges in Paris who specialise in tackling organised crime, working alongside the regional prosecutor’s office in Marseille. Gilles Simeoni, the president of Corsica’s regional authority, has described the murder as increasing the “mafia pressure” that weighs heavily on Corsican society.
As the island grapples with the fallout from this latest tragedy, the plea of Ajaccio’s bishop, Cardinal François Bustillo, for an end to the cycle of “eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth violence” that has gripped Corsica remains a poignant reminder of the deep-rooted challenges the community faces in breaking free from its demons.