A French soldier died in a maintenance accident in Chad, where the Barkhane anti-jihadist force is deployed, the army staff said on Friday. "While carrying out a maintenance intervention on a refrigeration unit at the Kossei base in N'Djamena in Chad, Chief Brigadier Andy Fila, electromechanic refrigeration engineer for the Barkhane force, was fatally affected by the explosion" d 'a gas cylinder, the statement said.
[#CEMA] I offer my condolences to the family, relatives and brothers in arms of Chief Brigadier Andy FILA, of the 14th Parachute Logistic Support Infantry Regiment (RISLP), who died accidentally this day while operating outside of N'Djamena. General Lecointre pic.twitter.com/ZtzOprmHD8
- Armed Staff (@EtatMajorFR) July 31, 2020He died of his injuries. A military investigation has been opened. Aged 25, and father of a 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 the Sahel in 2016, he returned there in June.
Forty-three French soldiers died in action
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, noting that they were wounded but without give details.
At the National Assembly, at the request of LR Thibault Bazin, the deputies spontaneously paid tribute to this soldier, observing a minute of silence, on the sidelines of the examination of the bioethics bill.
Operation Barkhane counts 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.
Society
A final tribute will be paid on Monday at Les Invalides to the French brigadier killed in Mali
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