French soldier killed in Mali by roadside bomb

A French soldier has been killed in Mali after his armoured vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, France's presidency said in a statement Saturday.

The French soldier was killed by an IED explosion that hit his armoured vehicle. PASCAL GUYOT / AFP

Corporal Ronan Pointeau died near Menaka in eastern Mali following "the detonation of an improvised explosive device as his armoured vehicle drove by," the statement said.

President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Pointeau's "sacrifice" and said his thoughts were with the soldier's colleagues and "his Sahelian brothers in arms, who are paying a heavy price in the fight against terrorism."

The Sahel region is the scene of repeated clashes between jihadists and local forces backed by troops from Western countries.

Pointeau's death follows an attack on Friday in the same region that left 49 Malian soldiers dead.

(AFP)