DJ Arafat: Twelve arrested after fans of Ivorian artist ‘open coffin’

Twelve people have been arrested after fans of an Ivorian musician stormed the cemetery where he was buried and allegedly opened his coffin.

DJ Arafat, 33, whose real name was Ange Didier Huon, died in a motorcycle accident last month.

Video on social media appeared to show fans opening his coffin and undressing the late musician’s body to check for tattoos in an effort to identify him.

The chaotic scenes followed rumours and disbelief that he had really died.

On Friday, thousands of people attended a concert in the main city, Abidjan to pay tribute to the musician. He was then laid to rest in a private ceremony on Saturday.

But images on social media showed fans battling police who were preventing them from entering the site. Police resorted to using tear gas to try and disperse those who had gathered outside where the ceremony was taking place.

Other images suggest that some had managed to reach DJ Arafat’s coffin.

“We wanted to see the body of our idol before the tomb was sealed,” one unnamed fan told AFP news agency.

DJ Arafat was one of the most popular African musicians in the Francophone world, and had been referred to as the “king” of coupé-décalé (cut and run), an Ivorian form of dance music.

He came to symbolise the flashy, well-dressed lifestyle associated with the music, which features fast percussion, deep bass and hip hop-style vocals.

Off stage, DJ Arafat was known for controversy, having faced accusations of domestic abuse.