Burkina Faso hostage rescue

On May 9, 2019, French special operations forces conducted a rescue operation in Northern Burkina Faso, that resulted in the deaths of two French petty officers, four out of six gunmen, and the recovery of all four hostages of French, American, and South Korean nationality. The operation was conducted by approximately 24 operators from Commando Hubert, the 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, and the Air Parachute Commando n° 10, CPA 10, with intelligence and overhead support from the United States Military.[2][3][4]

Burkina Faso hostage rescue
Part of Operation Barkhane, Terrorism in Burkina Faso
Date9 – 10 May 2019
Location
Near Gorom-Gorom in Northern Burkina Faso, West Africa
14°27′N 0°14′W
Result

Mission successful

  • Hostages rescued
  • Two Commando Hubert operators killed
Belligerents
 France
Supported by:
 United States (intelligence support)
 Burkina Faso (logistical support)		 Islamic State of the Great Sahara (EIGS)[1]
Units involved

Special Operations Command

Strength
24 commandoes
~ 10 helicopters
2 drones
1 CASA medical plane
1 MQ-9 Reaper drone		 6 gunmen
Casualties and losses
2 killed 4 killed[1]
4 hostages freed
Gorom-Gorom
Location of Gorom-Gorom, close to where the operation took place.

Background

The hostage situation included four hostages of French, American, and South Korean nationality.[5] Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, two French music teachers, were kidnapped on May 1st while vacationing in Pendjari National Park in Benin.[6] Their tour guide was found killed and their car had been burned. Meanwhile, the South Korean and American hostages, whose identities have not been released, were abducted while crossing together from Benin into Burkina Faso, about one month earlier.[7]

Rescue
Funeral procession for the fallen French operators in Paris on May 14.

While the terrorist organization behind the hostage crisis was unidentified, French military believe that the hostages were about to be handed to the Macina Liberation Front, a terrorist organization in Mali.[5] Before the rescue, the abductors had been moving northbound through Burkina Faso, but had set up camp overnight in the Sahel region.[8]

The hostage rescue occurred during the night on May 9, 2019.[6] French special forces approached the abductors' camp, covering 200 meters of open ground before being noticed 10 meters away. Two special forces soldiers, Cédric de Pierrepont, 32, and Alain Bertoncello, 27, died during the rescue, as did four of the militants. Both operatives belonged to Commando d'Action Sous-Marine Hubert, or CASM.[9]

Aftermath

Following the rescue, the two Frenchmen and the South Korean were received by President Emmanuel Macron at Villacoublay airport.
The former captives expressed their thanks to the soldiers that died and to the French and Burkinabe authorities for their roles in the rescue.
On May 14, 2019, a national tribute was be held in Paris in honour of the two soldiers that died in the rescue mission.[10]

References
  1. "Une opération de sauvetage complexe, deux militaires français tués : le récit de la libération des otages au Burkina Faso". May 10, 2019 – via Le Monde.
  2. "Two French soldiers killed in rescue of four hostages in Burkina Faso". english.alarabiya.net.
  3. Crouin, Antoine; Picheta, Rob. "French hostage says ordeal in Burkina Faso was 'hell'". CNN.
  4. "French soldiers killed in Burkina Faso raid to free foreign hostages". The Defense Post. May 10, 2019.
  5. Peltier, Elian (2019-05-10). "Two French Soldiers Are Killed in Raid That Frees Four Hostages in Burkina Faso". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  6. "French hostages praise rescue 'from hell'". 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  7. "S. Korean hostage in Burkina Faso was 'regular tourist': official". France 24. 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  8. John, Tara; Wojazer, Barbara; Browne, Ryan; Starr, Barbara. "Two soldiers killed in French-led rescue of four hostages in Burkina Faso". CNN. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  9. "Breaking: French Navy SOF rescue American hostage, two commandos dead". NEWSREP. May 11, 2019.
  10. "French hostages praise rescue 'from hell' in Burkina Faso". BBC News. 11 May 2019.
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