A foreign legionnaire, injured on April 23 in Mali during an "operation against armed terrorist groups", died. He died of his injuries on Friday at the Clamart military hospital (Hauts-de-Seine), the French President announced this Saturday.
Brigadier Dmytro Martynyouk was injured by the explosion of an improvised explosive device, said President Emmanuel Macron in a statement, welcoming "the courage of the French soldiers engaged in the Sahel".
L @ ARMEEDREME mourns the disappearance of brigadier Dmytro Martynyouk, of # 1REC, as a result of his injuries during an operation against armed terrorist groups in Mali. All mobilized around his family, relatives and comrades. @COMLE_DRPLE, @ Chefdecorps1REC pic.twitter.com/uQJShgtxwB
- Chief of the Land Staff (@CEMAT_FR) May 2, 2020In a separate press release, the general staff specified that, on April 23, "a tank truck of the Barkhane force", which France engaged in the Sahel, was hit by an improvised explosive device, wounding " the driver and the chief of the vehicle ”.
The two soldiers were evacuated to France on April 24 for medical treatment. If Dmytro Martynyouk, of the first cavalry regiment, died, "the condition of his comrade is stable, and his life prognosis is not engaged", according to the staff.
42 soldiers killed since 2013
"All my thoughts go out to the family, relatives and brothers in arms of Brigadier Dmytro Martynyouk, who died for France on May 1, 2020 from his injuries," said General François Lecointre, Head of State - major of the armies.
This death brings to 42 the number of French soldiers killed in the Sahel since the start of the French intervention in 2013, with Operation Serval, according to a count made from figures published by the general staff. In recent weeks, the French army has multiplied the offensives in this region of the Sahel (between Mali and Niger), claiming the "neutralization" of several dozen jihadists since the beginning of the year.
Barkhane's workforce has recently increased from 4,500 to 5,100 soldiers. Paris hopes that this reinforcement will help to reverse the balance of power in the Sahel, where jihadist groups have multiplied the attacks in recent months. Jihadist violence, which often adds to inter-community conflicts, killed 4,000 people in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in 2019. This is five times more than in 2016, according to the UN (United Nations Organization ), despite the presence of African, UN and international forces.
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