By Damon Mitchell • Published: 02 May 2020 • 9:46
FRANCE’S presidential office announced on Friday the death of a soldier enrolled in the French Foreign Legion who was fighting in Mali and received fatal injuries in an IED attack.
This brings France’s death toll for its military campaign in the Sahel, an area south of the Sahara Desert, to 42.
France started its military operations there in 2013, after Mali asked for help to regain territory that had been seized by Islamist extremists who had hijacked a Touareg rebellion in the country’s northern desert regions in 2012.
The French military succeeded in this initial task, however, the jihadist insurgency has since spread throughout Mali and across the border to Niger and Burkina Faso.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
From the interviewed to the interviewer
As frontman of a rock band Damon used to court the British press, now he lives the quiet life in Spain and seeks to get to the heart of the community, scoring exclusive interviews with ex-pats about their successes and struggles during their new life in the sun.
Originally from Scotland but based on the coast for the last three years, Damon strives to bring the most heartfelt news stories from the spanish costas to the Euro Weekly News.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.