On Thursday, a French soldier from the army’s First Parachute Hussar Regiment was killed in combat in Mali.
“This soldier … was killed in fighting against armed terrorist groups, when an improvised explosive device was triggered next to his armoured vehicle,” President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement.
The death occurred on the heels of growing protest in Mali against French troops’ presence in the country. France has more than 5,000 troops in the West African Sahel region. French troops presence is widely viewed in the region as interference in regional efforts to table regional challenges
In recent months, protesters have gathered in the Malian capital, Bamako to demand the withdrawal of French forces in the country
