The number of French soldiers who died in Mali is growing. The Élysée announced on Sunday, January 23, that a French soldier was killed in a mortar attack on the military camp of Operation Barkhane in Gao.
Alexandre Martin, a brigadier in Hyères’ 54th artillery regiment, was killed on Saturday afternoon.
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Emmanuel Macron “respectfully salutes the memory of this French soldier, who died in the execution of his mission for France” and “joins the pain of his family, loved ones, and brothers in arms.”
During the process, the Ministry of the Armed Forces provided additional information, stating that nine other soldiers had been injured by the “indirect fire” that occurred around 5 p.m.
“A patrol of attack helicopters has been dispatched to intercept and neutralize the terrorists who fired the shots,” the ministry explains, while the Chief of Defense Staff, Thierry Burkhard, shared his deep sadness on Twitter.
Profonde tristesse à l’annonce de la mort au combat du brigadier Alexandre Martin le 22/01 à Gao au Mali. Je salue son engagement. Toutes mes pensées vont vers sa famille, ses proches et ses frères d’armes. pic.twitter.com/uGk9l4wurj
— Chef d’état-major des armées (@CEMA_FR) January 23, 2022
This death brings the total number of French soldiers killed in the Sahel since 2013 in anti-jihadist operations Serval and Barkhane to 53.
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A death occurred in Burkina Faso when four French soldiers were injured by the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) in the passage of their vehicle.
