French Soldier Wearing Skeleton Mask In Mali Sparks Controversy (PHOTO)

[Reashot Xigwin]

The Huffington Post | By Eline Gordts Posted: 01/22/2013 12:18 pm EST | Updated: 01/23/2013 3:40 pm EST

The image has been shared countless times on Twitter and even drew a response from high up in the French army.

On Jan. 20, photographer Issouf Sanogo snapped a hallucinant photo of a French soldier in Niono, Mali, wearing goggles and a black mask depicting a grinning skeleton -- an image that reminded many of Ghost, a character from the video game "Call of Duty," AFP notes.

French military commanders reacted furiously to the photo. According to RTL, army spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard called the soldier's behavior "unacceptable" and stressed that the image was "not representative of France’s action in Mali."

SlateAfrique reported that the French military had opened an investigation into the incident and was determined to discover the identity of the soldier.

Yet in a blog post for AFP, Issouf Sanogo said he was surprised by the media storm. Recounting the events of that day in Niono, the photographer reveals that his shot may be not nearly as shocking as initially thought.

Sanogo writes:

I found myself alongside French troops stationed on some wasteland near the Niono prefecture. A helicopter was coming in to land and churning up tremendous dust clouds. Instinctively, all the soldiers grabbed their scarfs to avoid getting a mouthful of sand. It was evening, and rays of sunlight were pushing through the trees and into the dust clouds. It was a lovely light. I spotted this soldier wearing a strange scarf and took the photo. At the time, nothing about the scene seemed especially unusual or shocking. The soldier wasn’t posing and there was nothing staged about the image. He was just standing there, protecting his face from the dust, waiting for the chopper to land. No one tried to stop me shooting the picture.

France has been battling Islamist fighters in Mali for over a week, pounding rebel strongholds with air strikes and ground troops. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that French and Malian forces had pushed fighters back in the strategic town of Douentza after recapturing the city of Diabaly.

France has 2,150 troops in Mali, a number that may rise to 2,500. African troops are expected to take over from the French, with 1,000 soldiers from Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Niger, and Chad currently participating in the intervention. The mission has also received support from Western allies in the form of transport equipment and training operations.

Human Rights Watch said on Saturday that it has received reports of serious abuses by the Malian army against Tuaregs and Arabs in Niono. "We urge the Malian authorities, as well as the French and (West African) soldiers/authorities to do their utmost to ensure the protection of all civilians," the group said, according to Reuters.

French Soldier Wearing Skeleton Mask In Mali Sparks Controversy (PHOTO)

The French military gone nuts over a dude wearing a skeleton mask

While this person seems to be okay wearing it on a UN mission.

 

[Archdemon]

I dont see what the fuzz about

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

I dont see what the fuzz about

Precisely. The Dude just wear skull mask.

 

[acetophenol]

wtf????? he looks awesome though

 

[phylumchordata]

it pissed of some jungle kathmullahs.

 

[PteX]

Soldiers wear masks for a reason. This one just happened to have an awesome fashion sense.

 

[Dalai Lama]

It's Ghost from MW2! One of the most badass characters in any FPS game!

 

[livingdead]

I dont see what the fuzz about

their enemies are fans of darth vader.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

It's Ghost from MW2! One of the most badass characters in any FPS game!

He died like a B**ch near the end though

 

[HongWu]

They should wear some shrunken skulls around their necks too.

 

[Zero_wing]

They should wear some shrunken skulls around their necks too.

And you should stop being a jerk troll! its miss understanding my god man if their is no cool games in china its not the worlds fault.

 

[Jungibaaz]

You folks above fail to see why this would be an outrageous thing to do. Think about the cultural differences.

Lets see...

How would westerners react in the presence of a soldier holding a gun who was there to protect them?
Presence of foreign soldiers alone would make you feel uncomfortable.

Now imagine the soldier with a big long beard, tribal dress and AK-47.
I'm sure westerners would be outraged or would at least be very uncomfortable.

And to top it all off, not only has countries like France alienated many Muslims, but also Africa has seen it's fair share of colonialism.

this soldier has disregarded uniform dress code, how easy must it be then to disregard rules of engagement?

 

[anon45]

You folks above fail to see why this would be an outrageous thing to do. Think about the cultural differences.

Lets see...

How would westerners react in the presence of a soldier holding a gun who was there to protect them?
Presence of foreign soldiers alone would make you feel uncomfortable.

WW2

Now imagine the soldier with a big long beard, tribal dress and AK-47.
I'm sure westerners would be outraged or would at least be very uncomfortable.

And to top it all off, not only has countries like France alienated many Muslims, but also Africa has seen it's fair share of colonialism.

this soldier has disregarded uniform dress code, how easy must it be then to disregard rules of engagement?

Its a bandana the soldier is using to keep dust out of his mouth, not something he is wearing to make a statement (though it does look awesome).

 

[Jungibaaz]

WW2

In applicable to the scenario I was painting.

In the Muslim world, much of military offensives have been seen as a threat, in fact even Al Qaeda calls them a crusade to toy with the emotions of people.

Its a bandana the soldier is using to keep dust out of his mouth, not something he is wearing to make a statement (though it does look awesome).

It does look awesome.
But it's entirely inappropriate in that culture.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Its a bandana the soldier is using to keep dust out of his mouth, not something he is wearing to make a statement (though it does look awesome).

That's nothing... Just look at this one.