In April-May 2018, the English branch of France’s state-owned 24-hour international news television network FRANCE 24 published several interesting English language videos showing legionnaires of the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion (13e DBLE) during their deployment in Mali (West Africa) in the first half of 2018.
2e REI: Four wounded legionnaires in Mali
Four legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) were badly wounded during a terrorist attack in Mali, West Africa. Their armored vehicle was hit by a suicide car loaded with explosives, driven by a member of the local JNIM group.
1er REC: Legion’s Cavalry in Mali 2015
A few images of cavalry legionnaires during an operation in Mali, June 2015. The legionnaires of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) are currently a part of GTD (Desert Tactic Group) MISTRAL in this African country, while serving in Operation Berkhane.
1er REG: Legionnaire killed in Mali
On July 14, 2014, a French Foreign Legion legionnaire Dejvid Nikolic of Serbian origin, a member of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG), was killed during Operation Serval in the Al Moustarat region of northern Mali. He became the third legionnaire having been killed in this African country since 2013, after SCH Harold Vormezeele and CPL Marcel Kalafut.
2e REG in Mali in April 2014
As noted, a team of the Surveillance & Direct Action Platoon (Section de renseignement et d’intervention offensive, SRIO) of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) of the Foreign Legion is participating, together with other regiment’s and Legion’s units, in Operation Serval in Mali right now. See some nice images from an operation, in which the legionnaires-sappers of SRIO secured a road clearing for a military convoy of the French regular army forces.
2e REP: Pay Homage Ceremony to Sergent-chef Kalafut
On May 13, 2014, the ceremony to pay homage to the Sergent-chef Marcel Kalafut was organized within the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP). The legionnaire Kalafut was killed in Mali on May 8, during Operation Serval. The ceremony was headed by the French Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
2e REP: 2nd member of GCP killed in Mali
On May 8, 2014, the Slovak legionnaire Marcel Kalafut became the second member of the 2e REP‘s Parachute Commando Group (Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes, GCP) to be killed in Mali, after SCH Harold Vormezeele was killed in Mali in 2013.
French Foreign Legion in Mali 2013 slideshow
An interesting set of the Foreign Legion unofficial images from the operation in Mali of 2013.