The soldiers died when their helicopters collided last Monday while chasing jihadists in northern Mali where militant violence has soared in recent months. Their coffins, draped in the red, white and blue of the French flag, were brought home from the French military base at Gao, near the restive border with Burkina Faso and Niger, on Saturday. Forty-one French soldiers have now died in the Sahel over the past six years. Controversy flared over the weekend after the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published a series of cartoons associating the 13 soldiers' deaths with the army's recent recruitment campaign. Sourisseau defended on Sunday the magazines's "satirical spirit", while acknowledging the importance of the work of the French army and the soldiers' sacrifice.

Source: The Local December 02, 2019 12:00 UTC