The mourners had gathered in the small village of Vero, a half-hour drive from Ajaccio, the capital of the picture-postcard Mediterranean island of Corsica. In their midst was former nationalist leader Alain Orsoni, 71, who had flown in from exile in Nicaragua to bury his mother. Suddenly, with the ceremony under way, a single shot was fired from nearby scrubland, killing Orsoni instantly. Thirty-five people have been fatally shot on this island of 350,000 people in the past three years alone, giving it one of France's highest murder rates. Corsicans have become wearily familiar with vendettas and tit-for-tat underworld shootings, but even here, the way Orsoni was killed has stunned islanders. Yesterday, Alain Orsoni was cremated after a funeral service in Ajaccio. There was a large police presence.
A close friend of Orsoni, Jo Peraldi, expressed disbelief that such a grave act could happen during a moment of high emotion. A cemetery is sacred in Corsica, just like a church. Never have I witnessed seeing someone murdered while accompanying their mother to their final resting place, he told Corsican radio. For a cousin of the victim, Christian Leca, Orsoni's shooting was a tipping point in the horror of gangland violence.
Members of organized crime have long exploited the island's nationalist sentiments for profit through extortion and drug trafficking. Thierry Dominici, an expert on Corsican nationalism, pointed out that while the violence is rampant, it differs from the mafia's familial ties in southern Italy; rather, it is driven by pure opportunism. The killing of Orsoni raises pressing questions about the future of violence in Corsica, where old vendettas linger, and fears of retaliatory strikes loom large. As Cardinal François Bustillo called for an end to the bloodshed, the island remains at a crossroads, facing its demons head-on.
A close friend of Orsoni, Jo Peraldi, expressed disbelief that such a grave act could happen during a moment of high emotion. A cemetery is sacred in Corsica, just like a church. Never have I witnessed seeing someone murdered while accompanying their mother to their final resting place, he told Corsican radio. For a cousin of the victim, Christian Leca, Orsoni's shooting was a tipping point in the horror of gangland violence.
Members of organized crime have long exploited the island's nationalist sentiments for profit through extortion and drug trafficking. Thierry Dominici, an expert on Corsican nationalism, pointed out that while the violence is rampant, it differs from the mafia's familial ties in southern Italy; rather, it is driven by pure opportunism. The killing of Orsoni raises pressing questions about the future of violence in Corsica, where old vendettas linger, and fears of retaliatory strikes loom large. As Cardinal François Bustillo called for an end to the bloodshed, the island remains at a crossroads, facing its demons head-on.
