Two French soldiers killed after military vehicle hits explosive device in Mali
- Sergeant Yvonne Huynh, aged 33, was the first woman soldier sent to the Sahel region since the French operation began
- Loic Risser was 24 and both were members of a regiment specialising in intelligence work
Two French soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in northeastern Mali on Saturday, just days after three others died in similar fashion, the French presidency announced.
President Emmanuel Macron “learned with great sadness” of the deaths of Sergeant Yvonne Huynh and Brigadier Loic Risser in the Menaka region, his office said in a statement.
Huynh, aged 33, was the first woman soldier sent to the Sahel region since the French operation began.
Risser was 24. Both were members of a regiment specialising in intelligence work.
According to the army, the latest deaths bring to 50 the number of French soldiers killed in Mali since France first intervened militarily in January 2013 to help drive back Islamist jihadists who had overrun parts of the west African country.
