First death in operation for Eufor

(BRUSSELS2) A French soldier from Eufor in Chad/CAR was killed on March 3 following a clash with Sudanese forces. He had "accidentally" crossed the border. Border considered unstable. This is the first incident of the military force sent to Chad and the Central African Republic to protect the numerous refugees and displaced persons in this area, following fighting between rebels and government forces in the neighboring Darfur region.

(Updated) This is Sergeant Gilles Polin of the 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (1st RPIMa) in Bayonne. He was posthumously elevated to the rank of adjutant and made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. His funeral took place on March 13 in the presence of the Head of State, Nicolas Sarkozy.

This is the first incident following violent actions on a European Defense operation. Or, to be exact, the second. In January 1992 - at a time when the European defense policy did not officially exist but still functioned -, in the midst of the war in Croatia, five European observers - four Italians and a Frenchman - died after their helicopter was hit" by mistake" by the Yugoslav (Serbian) Air Force. "An unfortunate combination of circumstances "linked to the "extremely difficult situation prevailing in the airspace", had explained, at the time, tongue-in-cheek, the Yugoslav Ministry of Defense.

European missions suffered some casualties often by accident. Recently, on January 11, a Macedonian forces helicopter, MI-17, carrying soldiers returning from the Eufor mission in Bosnia, crashed, killing 11 people (crew and passengers).

(NGV)

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