The Elysée Palace on Saturday night announced the deaths of two French soldiers during an operation in Mali, five days after three French soldiers were killed on duty in the same country.
"The President of the Republic learned with great sadness of the deaths in Mali late this morning of two soldiers from the 2nd regiment of the hussars of Haguenau, Sergeant Yvonne Huynh and Brigadier Loïc Risser," the communiqué released by French President Emmanuel Macron's office read.
"Their vehicle was the object of an attack from an improvised explosive device during an intelligence mission in the region of Ménaka. A third soldier was injured in the attack, but the injuries are not life-threatening," the Elysée added.
On Monday, three soldiers from the Operation Barkhane force were killed in Mali under similar circumstances.
Saturday's deaths bring to 49 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.
France's Barkhane force numbers 5,100 troops spread across the arid Sahel region and has been fighting jihadist groups alongside soldiers from Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, who together make up the G5 Sahel group.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AFP)
