Lieutenant-Colonel Sébastien Botta who’s a French soldier is among seven observers, five Americans and a Czech of the Multinational Observer Force (FMO) in Egyptian Sinai who died Thursday, November 12 in the unfortunate helicopter crash.
A statement said, “The FMO will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. At this stage, there is no information indicating that the crash was not an accident”.
French officials including the Presidency and Army Staff have responded actively to the news, “The President of the Republic bows with deep contemplation before the memory of this officer and presents, on behalf of the Nation, his condolences to his family, his relatives and his brothers in arms,” writes the Elysium.
Le Président de la République a appris avec une grande tristesse le décès du lieutenant-colonel Sébastien Botta, officier français engagé en opérations au Sinaï, en Égypte, au sein de la « Force Multinationale et Observateurs ».https://t.co/cgasf5XyaC
— Élysée (@Elysee) November 12, 2020
[#CEMA] Toutes mes pensées accompagnent la famille, les proches et les frères d’armes du lieutenant-colonel Sébastien Botta mort en opération au service de la France ce jour, lors de l’accident d’un hélicoptère de la Force Multinationale d’Observateur au Sinaï. pic.twitter.com/V1TLEXGn5P
— État-Major Armées (@EtatMajorFR) November 12, 2020
“The President of the Republic sends a message of solidarity and compassion to the States struck by this tragedy, which painfully underlines the commitment of our soldiers in the service of peace in this region, for nearly 40 years,” added the Presidency.
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Lieutenant-Colonel Sébastien Botta, 44, was a father of three children and from the air defence and air operations command. He had been engaged in the Force since October. He held the post of deputy head of the FMO liaison office. He joined the army in 1999 and has participated in several foreign operations, in Tajikistan and in Western Sahara peacekeeping operations.
Army General François Lecointre and Defense Minister Florence Parly also released a statement in the salutation of a man who died for France and in the service of peace, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of seven of our military colleagues from three countries, who died in a helicopter crash during a routine mission. The results include a Czech, a French and five American members of the FMO”,
Je présente toutes mes condoléances à la famille, aux proches et aux frères d’armes du lieutenant-colonel Sébastien Botta, dont l’hélicoptère s’est écrasé dans le Sinaï. Il est mort au service de valeurs qui fondaient les raisons de son engagement. pic.twitter.com/gbV4o3AaEM
— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) November 12, 2020
A U.S. member of the force, tasked with monitoring peace between Israel and Egypt, survived the crash and was moved in for treatment, according to an FMO statement that said the crash took place during a “routine mission near Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt”.
