# French Foreign Legion Soldier Goes Postal In Chad.



## Crusader74 (Apr 9, 2009)

*Irish UN troops are safe after French soldier kills comrades*

By Grainne  Cunningham

Wednesday April 08 2009

          A renegade French soldier was on the run in Chad last night after gunning down a  civilian and three of his comrades.
The man, a member of the French Foreign Legion, shot dead three soldiers, two other members of the Legion, and one Togolese, at one of the UN camps in Chad where Irish military personnel are based.
A Chadian official said the legionnaire later shot and killed a local farmer who resisted the fugitive's attempt to steal his horse.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said last night that all 23 Irish at the Abeche camp are "safe, well and accounted for". The French soldier managed to escape from the camp and is still on the run.
*Irrational*
"He fired at his comrades in an irrational act and is now on  the run," Lieutenant Colonel Francois-Marie Gougeon, spokesman for the French Army said. "The priority is to find him."
Lt Col Gougeon said he  didn't know whether the soldier left with his weapon.
The troops were killed in the military "Camps des Etoiles",  Stars camp, near the town of Abeche in eastern Chad, he said. 
The French Foreign Legion soldiers who were killed and the man who shot them are part of a European peacekeeping force in Chad. 
The Togolese soldier was part of the United Nations force that is taking over operations from the Europeans, Lt Col Gougeon said.
The Irish troops there all carrying out administrative duties and none of them witnessed the shootings, the Irish Army spokesman said.
Troops were searching for the missing soldier last night.
The incident took place about 2pm local and Irish time at the camp which is about 50km from the Sudanese border in the east of the country.
The French soldier, a member of the Eufor quick reaction force, first shot two of his comrades before hiding in an ammunition depot. 
He later shot a sentry from Togo before managing to get away from the camp, out into the desert and scrubland which surround the perimeter.
Abeche is a tiny town, served by an airstrip which has become a centre for the delivery of humanitarian assistance for about 240,000 Darfurian refugees living in 12 camps east of the town, in the border region to Sudan.
Camp Stars, Abeche, is an international camp, populated by personnel from up to 20 different countries. It is the headquarters for MINURCAT, the UN peacekeeping force in Central Africa and Chad.
The 23 Irish personnel, one of whom is Deputy Commander of the camp, have mainly been stationed there since late January and early February for a six-month term.
The majority of Irish troops are stationed a two-hour flight away from Abeche at Camp Ciara at Goz Bieda in eastern Chad.
The Irish Army press officer said he was "absolutely" confident that all Irish personnel were safe. He said the matter would be dealt with by the French authorities.
France has 2,100 troops in Chad. There are about 5,200 peacekeepers as part of the UN's MINURCAT mission in Chad, including an Irish infantry battalion of over 400 soldiers.
French Defence Minister Herve Morin said he deplored the "tragic accident" and that the errant soldier had clearly been "seized by a fit of madness.
"He is being actively sought after by the French gendarmerie, Chadian authorities and the entirety of troops based in Abeche," Morin said.


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## QC (Apr 9, 2009)

The Lt Col didn't know whether the guy left with his weapon. 
(12 months ago I couldn't spell officer, now I are one)
Good to know the Irish guys are safe, though. But what are this guys chances in a place like that?


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## RackMaster (Apr 9, 2009)

Must got into the local "juice"... 

If he survives the local environment, then I don't think his FFL "buddies" will let him live much longer.


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## pardus (Apr 9, 2009)

gdamadg said:


> If he survives the local environment, then I don't think his FFL "buddies" will let him live much longer.



Exactly, he's a dead man regardless.

That's the way it should be done too. :2c:


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## Crusader74 (Apr 10, 2009)

Security forces in Chad have captured a French Foreign Legion soldier who allegedly killed four people, including two comrades and a UN peacekeeper. 

The man was found trying to get water from a well 10km (6 miles) from his base in Abeche, eastern Chad, French and Chadian officials said. 

His arrest by Chadian gendarmes followed a massive military manhunt. 

A French officer described the soldier, who had fled across the southern Sahara on a stolen horse, as "deranged". 

The renegade soldier is a 27-year-old man of French-Guianese origin, AFP news agency reported. 

Before making his escape, the fugitive soldier shot dead a Togolese peacekeeper and two legionnaires at the Camp des Etoiles military base in the city of Abeche. 



He then shot dead a Chadian farmer, stole his horse and took flight across the semi-arid terrain towards Sudan. 

The killings sparked a manhunt for the rogue soldier, involving helicopters and troops from the European Union and UN peacekeeping missions, as well as Chadian police and army soldiers. 

"He was found exhausted a few kilometres east of Abeche and was given food and water," Lt Col Francois-Marie Gougeon, a spokesman for the French Defence Ministry, was quoted as saying by AFP. 

French Defence Minister Herve Morin earlier said the soldier had been "seized by a fit of madness". 

Mr Morin told France Info radio the authorities had no explanation for the soldier's actions "other than that he flipped". 

The minister also reportedly said the soldier had passed a series of psychiatric tests before being accepted into the Legion in February 2007. 

The legionnaires were part of the Eufor force that has for the past year helped to protect refugees from Darfur. 

The Togolese soldier was part of a UN mission, which took over peacekeeping operations in Chad last month.


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## AWP (Apr 10, 2009)

pardus said:


> Exactly, he's a dead man regardless.
> 
> That's the way it should be done too. :2c:



I'm completely satisified if that is the outcome. The FFL doesn't take a slight on its image lightly.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Apr 12, 2009)

I bet he will go before a firing squad of his peers...


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## DA SWO (Apr 13, 2009)

J.A.B. said:


> I bet he will go before a firing squad of his peers...



Doubt it, they are already making excuses for him, he'll get jail time, but an easier life then he deserves.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Apr 13, 2009)

IDK the FFL plays by their own book from what I understand.?! But yeah your prolly right, stupid me "thinking eye for an eye" Oh well back to the real world...


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## pardus (Apr 13, 2009)

The only chance they had to slot him was during his capture and the FFL weren't part of that so he'll be safe.

FFL is still subject to EU laws...


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