Head of the ESDP mission in Kosovo: Yves de Kermabon

(B2) Aged 58, Frenchman Yves de Kermabon, a graduate of Saint-Cyr (the French school for senior officers), comes from the armored cavalry army and has the rank of general of the army corps. He took part in numerous overseas missions: “Taucaud” in Chad (1978 and 1979), “Barracuda” in the Central African Republic (1981), Cambodia (1992).

A BALKAN LEADER

He intervened in the Balkans, first in the capacity of Forpronu (deputy general commanding the Sarajevo sector, January-May 1995), then of Ifor (chief of staff of the Multinational Division South-East, December 1995-May 1996), and in Kosovo (Commander of the Multinational Brigade North in Mitrovica, May-September 2002, then Deputy to the General Commanding KFOR in Pristina at Kfor, March-September 2003, and finally Chief of the Multinational Force of KFOR stationed in Kosovo, Sept 2004-Sept 2005).

He was until now commander of the Headquarters of the Rapid Reaction Corps - France, located in Lille.

(published in Europolitics September 2007)