Meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament paid tribute to the 13 French soldiers involved in Operation Barkhane who died the previous day in Mali as the result of an accidental collision between two helicopters that had been mobilised as part of an operation against jihadist groups.
On Wednesday, 27 November, MEPs observed a minute's silence in their memory, at the request of Yannick Jadot (Greens-EFA, France). The previous day, David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, paid tribute to the memory of the soldiers and expressed the European Parliament’s solidarity, before the work of the plenary session began again.
The same day, a spokesperson from the European External Action Service (EEAS) issued a statement on behalf of the EU. “Six officers and a master corporal belonging to the Barkhane force lost their lives. The European Union extends its deepest condolences to the families of those French soldiers engaged in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel”, she said. She added that “France's commitment is an essential contribution to the EU's efforts in the region”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)