NATO mission French soldier deployed in Romania found dead in hotel

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Nov 2022 21:59

France's soldiers deployed in Romania as part of a NATO mission are suffering in the eastern European country, with one soldier found dead in his room with scissors sticking out of his neck.

A French soldier looks through binoculars (AFP)

A French soldier was found dead in his hotel room in Bucharest, Romania, where the French military contingent has been deployed as part of a NATO mission, French media reported on Sunday.

Cleaning personnel found a 41-year-old French soldier with scissors stuck in his neck in his hotel room with no signs of forced entry, French broadcaster TF1 said.

The soldier, along with other French troops, checked into the hotel on Thursday and was supposed to stay there until January 3, 2023, French media reported. The police have opened a probe into the case.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu visited Bucharest last week to open a new military base with 750 French soldiers in the Romanian town of Cincu, which was launched with the aim of strengthening NATO's eastern flank.

The French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Friday that the members of the French force in Romania are experiencing very difficult conditions, as they are starving and suffering from the cold there.

The newspaper, quoting members of the Parliament, that the French soldiers "are given little food, have tents that are not always heated, suffer from difficult sanitary conditions, and are tormented by bed bugs."

Le Figaro pointed out that currently there are about 350 French soldiers stationed with the mission in Romania, and in the coming weeks 12 tanks and armored personnel carriers will be sent to them.

This mission was launched on February 28, after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, and its announced goal was to strengthen the eastern flank of NATO.

According to Parliament members, France faced a serious problem in terms of logistics and support and pointed out that the food of the French army in Romania is very poor.

"This was a defensive deterrence mission, not a combat mission," stated the PMs, questioning what message Russia was receiving if French soldiers lived in such conditions.