#1 French troops suffocated Ivorian
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:02 pm
BBC
Thought we should know what's up with the French Army in IC.French troops in Ivory Coast killed an Ivorian man by suffocation in May while he was in their custody, the French Defence Ministry has said.
The French forces commander at the time was informed of what had happened, but did not report it to his superiors. Gen Henri Poncet was suspended last month in connection with the death.
France's 4,000-strong peacekeeping mission, supported by UN troops, is enforcing a fragile truce between the Ivorian government and northern rebels.
The prisoner, Firmin Mahe, "was killed by suffocation by French soldiers in an armoured vehicle" in western Ivory Coast, the Defence Ministry statement said.
The three soldiers and their commanding officer in the vehicle are due to appear before a special investigative commission.
Gen Poncet and two other soldiers were suspended last month for committing "serious breaches" of military law and orders.
The country has been divided in half since the rebels tried to overthrow President Laurent Gbagbo in September 2002.
President Gbagbo's mandate expired on Sunday night, but the United Nations has agreed he should stay for up to a year so elections can be held.