France: President Macron inaugurates monument in honour of French soldiers killed overseas ⁰

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to inaugurate on Monday a monument in memory of hundreds of French soldiers who have died in foreign operations since 1963. Watch his speech live on FRANCE 24. 

The monument, a bronze sculpture of six soldiers, five men and a woman wearing caps or berets and solemnly carrying an invisible coffin, will be unveiled at the André Citroën Park in the 15^th arrondissement (district) of Paris.

Engraved on the wall beside the sculpture are the names of 549 soldiers, including two women, killed in 17 overseas military operations. Of these, 141 died in Lebanon, 129 in Chad, 85 in Afghanistan and 78 in the former Yugoslavia.

“The monument has three objectives: First, to send a message to our troops that France recognises their commitment to the nation, which sometimes entails making the ultimate sacrifice; it’s a place for families to gather; and finally, it’s meant to show the French people how defending liberty involve external military operations that demand total commitment,” Deputy Defence Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq was quoted as saying on Monday by French daily ‘Le Figaro’.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)