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French anti-jihadist troops in Mali killed a civilian on Tuesday and wounded two others after a bus refused to stop in a volatile area despite their orders, the French army command said.
The incident occurred about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the city of Gao, in troubled northern Mali.
French soldiers fired warning shots on the ground, but two bullets ricocheted and hit the windshield, wounding three people, including one fatal, the French army command said.
“The seriously injured person was evacuated by helicopter to the hospital of the (French) Barkhane force in Gao, but died from his injuries,” he said.
“All measures have been taken to determine the exact sequence of events,” he said, expressing his “most sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.”
But the director of the bus company, Abdoulaye Haidara, questioned the army command’s version of events, telling AFP that his driver had refused to stop and did not hear any warning shots.
Mali is now under the control of a junta that took power in a coup two weeks ago.
Much of its territory is beyond the control of central authorities and years of fighting have failed to stop an Islamist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since it emerged in 2012.
France has deployed more than 5,000 troops to its Barkhane anti-Jihadist force in West Africa.
A key part of the French strategy to combat terrorism in the troubled region lies in the so-called G5 Sahel force, a plan to create a 5,000-strong joint force that brings together Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.
But the force lacks equipment, training, and funds.
