Two French soldiers die in Central African Republic

Two French soldiers have been killed in Central African Republic (CAR) where France has recently deployed more troops.

The troopers lost their lives in a clash in the capital Bangui on Monday, army sources said.

The fatalities come as French President Francois Hollande, who is attending late South African leader Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg, is due to travel to Bangui later on Tuesday along with Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

The troopers are the first French fatalities since Hollande deployed 1,600 soldiers to the resource-rich but impoverished African country.

On December 5, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution giving the African Union and France the go-ahead to intervene militarily in CAR.

France claims the aim of the mission is to create stability in its former colony in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach violence-hit areas.

The recent fighting in CAR began when Christian militias, who support ousted President Francois Bozizé, attacked several Muslim neighborhoods of Bangui.

There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamond, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.

The mission in the CAR is France’s second military intervention in Africa in 2013. In January, Paris dispatched more than 4,000 troops to Mali, for what it called launching a fierce war against the militants in the country.

France currently has over 5,000 troops stationed at bases across the continent, costing Paris around 400 million euros (USD 540 million) per year.