Hundreds gather for funeral of French schoolgirl whose killing sparked national outrage

Several hundred people gathered in southwestern France on Friday to bid farewell to an 11-year-old girl whose suspected murder sparked protests across the country and exposed failures in the country's judicial system.

The body of the girl, named as Lyhanna, was found last week after she went missing on May 29 in the southwestern town of Fleurance.

The suspect, a 41-year-old father of a school friend of the victim, had twice before been formally accused of raping a child, but investigations had been dropped or had stalled.

Around 60,000 people protested the killing across France this week, some demanding the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.

Mourners gathered at a local cemetery under the bright sun, with pallbearers carrying a small blue coffin with the child's body to its final resting place.

One mourner wore a T-shirt with the photo of the girl and the words: "Our honour. We will neither forget nor remain silent."

"We are not saying goodbye to a symbol or a cause, but to an 11-and-a-half-year-old girl: Lyhanna," said the mayor, Gregory Bobbato, praising her parents' "dignity".

On Friday morning, flags flew at half-mast at Fleurance town hall, and flowers, candles and toys were laid at the foot of a cedar tree outside the school where Lyhanna was last seen.

On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said he feared for trust in France's institutions after a botched investigation into the main suspect, Jerome Barella.

Barella lived with his family in the neighbouring village of Montestruc-sur-Gers and had previously worked in schools.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)