Successful release of 4 hostages in Burkina Faso. Two marine commandos killed in the operation (V3)

(B2) Two French soldiers who are members of the marine commandos died in a hostage release operation in northern Burkina Faso on the night of Thursday to Friday (10-11 May).

Two marine commandos lose their lives

Master Cédric de Pierrepont and master Alain Bertoncello, " both petty officers in the Special Operations Command were killed in action », Indicates an official press release from the Presidency of the Republic. They were members of the Hubert commando. " They did not tremble, they did not hesitate for a single second in the face of the kidnappers, they protected the hostages at the cost of their own lives said the French Minister for the Armed Forces, Florence Parly.

The two French hostages released and two others also

The operation was nevertheless successful. Four hostages have been released: two Frenchmen Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas – kidnapped on May 1 in Benin –, an American citizen and a South Korean national. This presence of two additional hostages is a surprise. " We had absolutely no knowledge of the presence of [these] two hostages said Minister Florence Parly. And apparently " their countries were unaware of their abduction ". They were removed for 28 days ».

(NGV)

Read also about the details of the operation: The release of hostages in Burkina Faso: an operation carried out with rigor and audacity

Started in 1986, the Master Cédric de Pierrepont entered the French Navy in 2004, within the crews of the fleet. In 2005, he joined the specialty of marine rifleman and distinguished himself by finishing first in his class. A year and a half later, he passed the commando course. He was then assigned to the Penfentenyo commando where he was promoted to the rank of second-master and obtained his marine-commando marine rifle technical aptitude certificate. In August 2012, he passed the combat swimmer course and then joined the Hubert commando. He had held the position of commando group leader there since April 1, 2018. In 15 years of service, he has been engaged several times in theaters of operations in the Mediterranean, the Levant and the Sahel.

Started in 1991, the Master Alain Bertoncello entered the French Navy by joining the school of maitrance on February 14, 2011. On March 1, 2012 he chose the specialty of marine rifleman and passed the commando course the same year. After five years at the Jaubert commando, he obtained the combat swimmer's certificate and joined the Hubert commando based in Saint-Mandrier in the Var, where he had been assigned since July 2017. After joining the navy commandos, master Bertoncello participated in missions to defend French maritime interests in the Seychelles (protection of tuna boats) and in several external operations in Qatar, the Levant and the Sahel.

Updated Friday, May 10, 15 p.m. biographies + details on the operation (put in a separate article for more readability)