1st Class Parachute Hussar Tojohasina Razafintsalama, of the France  1st Parachute Hussar Regiment of Tarbes, died in action Jul. 23, 2020   in Mali. /  Etat Major des Armées

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC TIMES

A soldier of the French force Barkhane in the west Africa Sahel was killed Thursday  in the region of Gossi, in the center of Mali, “during fighting against the armed terrorist groups”,  the Elysee and the French Army announced. Tojohasina Razafintsalama, 25-years-old,   born in Mahazarivo, Madagasca, was  killed in fighting against armed terrorist groups, when an improvised explosive device was triggered next to his armoured vehicle, the Elysee said in a statement. During the explosion, two other soldiers present in the vehicle, which was on a reconnaissance mission, were also injured, then evacuated in serious condition to the military hospital in Gao before being repatriated in the evening.

“The armored vehicle [in which the soldier was] jumped on contact with a suicide vehicle loaded with explosives,”   During the explosion, two other soldiers present in the vehicle, which was on a reconnaissance mission, were also injured, then evacuated in serious condition to the military hospital in Gao before being repatriated in the evening, he said. know the staff.”

-France  Armed Minister Florence Parly said in a statement.

Le hussard parachutiste de 1ère classe Tojohasina Razafintsalama est mort pour la France lors d'une explosion au Mali. Je m’incline avec émotion devant sa mémoire, son engagement et son courage. J'adresse tout mon soutien à ses deux camarades blessés lors de l’affrontement. pic.twitter.com/i8ODSI62nr

— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) July 23, 2020

Je m’incline devant la mémoire du 1re cl Tojohasina RAZAFINTSALAMA, dont j’apprends avec émotion la mort au combat ce 23 juillet au Mali. Mes pensées accompagnent sa famille, ses frères d’armes du #1RHP ainsi que ses camarades blessés dont je salue l’engagement. pic.twitter.com/glJz9maqWE

— Chef d'état-major de l'armée de Terre (@CEMAT_FR) July 23, 2020

After the attack, “the unit in contact immediately engaged in combat. At the same time, two Tiger helicopters and then a Reaper drone were deployed to support the elements on the ground, ” according to French Army statement.

Razafintsalama joined the 1st Hussar Parachute Regiment in Tarbes in 2018

-and was deployed to Mali on July 14, 2020.

43 FRENCH SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFRICA SAHEL SINCE  2014

Credit:  foreignlegion.info /  13e DBLE legionnaires alongside Malian troops in Mali, March 2018.

In May 2020, a soldier from France’s Foreign Legion died from wounds sustained during in an operation against jihadists in Mali.  Thursday’s death brings to 43 the number of soldiers killed from France’s Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region since it first stationed troops there in 2013 to help train and assist local forces against Islamic insurgents.   At the start of 2020, Barkhane’s strength increased from 4,500 to 5,100 soldiers. Paris hopes this reinforcement will help reverse the balance of power on the ground, where jihadist groups have stepped up attacks in recent months.  Last November 2019, two helicopters collided, killing  13 French soldiers fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists in Mali,   its highest military death toll in nearly four decades.  French Foreign Legion units are  part of France’s Operation Barkhane .   Launched  in 2014, the operation replaced Operation Serval (in Mali, 2013-14) and Operation Épervier (in Chad, 1986-2014). Five  five countries are targeted by Operation Barkhane – Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. 

New Task Force To Bolster France Operation Barkhane, G5 Sahel Joint Action 

Credit:  foreignlegion.info /  French Operation Barkhane in Africa. The small flags mark French military bases.

In April 2020,  Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Portugal  committed troops to a new French-led special forces mission in the Africa Sahel region called Task Force Takuba.   The move comes as the U.S. plans troop reductions in the  troubled Sahel.   Terror and violent attacks linked to militant Islamic groups in the Africa Sahel  region have increased dramatically during the past few year.

French Military Operations in Mali Are  Failing 

France is not succeeding at stabilizing the Sahel despite the deployment of nearly 6,000 soldiers in the region. Many are of the opinion,  things are getting worse, and Paris is failing in its objective to secure the region from jihadists.

“France now finds itself stuck in the Sahel, much like the United States found itself in Afghanistan and Iraq — spending years and billions of dollars on fighting highly mobile Islamist groups in difficult, unfamiliar terrain, with no end in sight.”

-New York Times March, 29, 2020

Malians Growing Tired, Frustrated With Presence of French Troops

Des Manifestants Mali Veulent le Départ des Militaires étrangers du pays 

10 janvier 2020 à Bamako, s’est tenue une manifestation qui a demandé le départ des troupes militaires étrangères du territoire malien. À l’appel d’associations et de partis politiques notamment, les manifestants se sont regroupés devant le monument de l’Indépendance de Bamako. De nombreux drapeaux maliens étaient visibles. Des responsables de la société civile et de la classe politique malienne étaient également présents.