Vergennes
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2014
- Messages
- 8,576
- Reaction score
- 61
- Country
- Location
The Mali ambassador to France on Wednesday accused soldiers of the Foreign Legion participating in the French operation Barkhane of "behaviors that are problematic" in Bamako, the capital of Mali.
Mali’s ambassador to France, Toumani Djimé Diallo, denounced before the Defense Committee of the French Senate on Wednesday the "problems" posed by the Foreign Legion on Malian soil, citing problemtic "behaviors" in Bamako.
"First, with so many men and resources deployed, we expected more results, less costly in human lives. On the other hand, I will tell you frankly, in these forces, there are officers, the normal army, but also the Foreign Legion. This is the problem, "he said.
"Tattooed all over the body"
"At times, in the Pigalle of Bamako, you find them, tattooed all over their body, rendering an image that is not the one we know of the (French) army. It scares, it intrigues, "he continued.
This claim was rejected by the general staff that the legionaries were "never stationed" in the Malian capital.
Legion soldiers are regularly deployed to the Sahel as part of the Barkhane anti-jihadist operation. But "the legionaries have never been stationed in Bamako, they have no vocation to go there and have neither free quarter nor time of rest outside the operational bases" of operation Barkhane (the name of the deployment of the French army against the Islamists in the Sahel), located in the north of the country, reacted to AFP the spokesman for the staff, Colonel Frédéric Barbry.
Among the 600 reinforcements recently announced by French President Emmanuel Macron are included elements of the 2nd foreign paratrooper regiment (REP). Other legionary units are currently present in Mali, belonging to the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (REI) and the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (REC), according to the staff.
"It is good, because they are known to be tough in battle, tough in combat, but they are also tough to gain [...] there are behaviors that are problematic," said the Malian ambassador. "Some people do anything on the streets of Bamako, it is not good for the image of France," he insisted.
“President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta said it: all those who today in Mali call for the departure of foreign forces and in particular French are enemies of Mali, accomplices of the jihadists […], but the behavior of some elements of the army do not leave something to be desired, "concluded the diplomat, while welcoming the French engagement in the Sahel.
"We take note, but we wish to reaffirm our solidarity with our armed forces," said the chairman of the Senate committee, Christian Cambon. "If there are shortcomings, there are military authorities who are perfectly suited to correct these things," he said.
https://www.45enord.fr/2020/02/un-d...ents-et-les-tatouages-de-la-legion-etrangere/
Mali’s ambassador to France, Toumani Djimé Diallo, denounced before the Defense Committee of the French Senate on Wednesday the "problems" posed by the Foreign Legion on Malian soil, citing problemtic "behaviors" in Bamako.
"First, with so many men and resources deployed, we expected more results, less costly in human lives. On the other hand, I will tell you frankly, in these forces, there are officers, the normal army, but also the Foreign Legion. This is the problem, "he said.
"Tattooed all over the body"
"At times, in the Pigalle of Bamako, you find them, tattooed all over their body, rendering an image that is not the one we know of the (French) army. It scares, it intrigues, "he continued.
This claim was rejected by the general staff that the legionaries were "never stationed" in the Malian capital.
Legion soldiers are regularly deployed to the Sahel as part of the Barkhane anti-jihadist operation. But "the legionaries have never been stationed in Bamako, they have no vocation to go there and have neither free quarter nor time of rest outside the operational bases" of operation Barkhane (the name of the deployment of the French army against the Islamists in the Sahel), located in the north of the country, reacted to AFP the spokesman for the staff, Colonel Frédéric Barbry.
Among the 600 reinforcements recently announced by French President Emmanuel Macron are included elements of the 2nd foreign paratrooper regiment (REP). Other legionary units are currently present in Mali, belonging to the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (REI) and the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (REC), according to the staff.
"It is good, because they are known to be tough in battle, tough in combat, but they are also tough to gain [...] there are behaviors that are problematic," said the Malian ambassador. "Some people do anything on the streets of Bamako, it is not good for the image of France," he insisted.
“President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta said it: all those who today in Mali call for the departure of foreign forces and in particular French are enemies of Mali, accomplices of the jihadists […], but the behavior of some elements of the army do not leave something to be desired, "concluded the diplomat, while welcoming the French engagement in the Sahel.
"We take note, but we wish to reaffirm our solidarity with our armed forces," said the chairman of the Senate committee, Christian Cambon. "If there are shortcomings, there are military authorities who are perfectly suited to correct these things," he said.
https://www.45enord.fr/2020/02/un-d...ents-et-les-tatouages-de-la-legion-etrangere/
