Senegal's criminal court sentenced 13 people to prison for attempting to establish a homegrown cell modelled afterBoko Haramin the West African country.

One of those jailed by the Dakar court on Thursday was Makhtar Diokhane, described as the ringleader of the group. He was handed a 20-year prison term.

"The court was very heavy-handed in sentencing our client and we are going to appeal," Diokane's lawyer Alassane Cisse told Reuters news agency.

Fourteen people,including two of Diokhane's wives,were acquitted.

About 30 Senegalese were put on trial in April for their suspected involvement in the cell after some spent time in Nigeria with the armed group Boko Haram.

Attacks involvingBoko Haramhave displaced more than 1.8 million Nigerians in the country's predominantly agricultural northeastover the last 10 years. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed.(Aljazeera)