A French soldier died in a maintenance accident in Mali, where the anti-jihadist force Barkhane is deployed, said the army staff on Friday (July 31). " While carrying out a maintenance intervention on a refrigeration unit at the Kossei base in N'Djamena in Chad, Chief Brigadier Andy Fila, electromechanical refrigeration engineer for the Barkhane force, was fatally affected by the explosion " d 'a gas cylinder, the statement said. He died of his injuries. A military investigation has been opened.
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The 25-year-old father of one child, Brigadier-Chief Andy Fila belonged to the 14th Infantry and Parachute Logistics Support Regiment in Toulouse. He had been deployed several times in overseas operations. Already sent to Mali in 2016, he returned there in June.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Army General François Lecointre, " bows with deep sadness to the memory of this soldier who died in operations ", specifies the General Staff, reporting the wounded but without give details. Operation Barkhane has around 5,100 soldiers. In total, 43 French soldiers died in combat in operations Serval (2013) and Barkhane (since 2014), according to the general staff. A count that does not include accidents.