French soldier killed in northern Mali

Another French soldier has been killed in northern Mali, bringing the death toll of French troops in the West African country to three.

According to a statement released by France’s defense ministry on Sunday, Parachutist Corporal Cedric Charenton lost his life a day earlier in clashes with local fighters in the Adrar des Ifoghas Mountains near neighboring Algeria.

On February 19, a French soldier, identified as Staff Sergeant Harold Vormezeele, was killed following clashes with fighters in the same region.

On January 12, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that a French Air Force pilot had been killed in a helicopter attack one day earlier near the central town of Konna.

On January 11, France launched a war on Mali under the pretext of halting the advance of fighters who had taken control of the north of the African nation. The United States, Canada, Britain, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark have voiced support for the move.

The French-led war in Mali has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in northern areas of the country and has displaced thousands of people, who now live in deplorable conditions.

On February 1, Amnesty International condemned “serious human rights breaches” including the killing of children in the French war in Mali.

The rights organization said there was “evidence that at least five civilians, including three children, were killed in an airstrike” carried out by French forces against the local fighters.

Some political analysts believe that Mali’s abundant natural resources, including gold and uranium reserves, could be one of the reasons behind the French war against the African country.