Remember Côte d'Ivoire? Remember General Henri Poncet? No? Splendid. Read no further.

FRANCE VOWS TO SHED LIGHT ON MILITARY KILLING

PARIS October 27, 2005 (AFP) - French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin vowed on Thursday to fully investigate the killing of a local man by French troops in Ivory Coast, which led to the suspension of a top French general.

"We have nothing to hide," Villepin told a monthly press conference, promising to "shed full light" on the affair. ... "It is to the army's honour, and I salute the decision taken rapidly by (Defence Minister) Michele Alliot-Marie, to seek to shed light" on the case.

RAPIDE...COMME UN LAPIN!
Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie Says French Justice Coming Soon

Oh my, you have continued your skim. The incident occurred in May. General Poncet was dismissed in June. Here we are at the end of October and Mdm. le Ministre is on the case. Swift French justice is only a matter of, what? Mere months? Years?

"France is committed to upholding, in all circumstances, the fundamental rules that apply to each French person, and naturally to each member of the military," Villepin said.

The prime minister said France would ensure there was a full, transparent inquiry, and that the "necessary measures" were taken.

All this sounds nice, but, you are asking, hasn't something already been hidden? Well, yes, that which has prompted Mdm. Alliot-Marie's sudden light-shedding inquiry -- an Ivoirian, Fabien Mahé, in French military custody killed by criminal asphyxiation. The French concealed the circumstances of M. Mahe's death, claiming he was shot in self-defense.

Le crime qu'on accuse le général quatre étoiles d'avoir couvert remonte au 13 mai 2005. A l'époque, le ministère français de la Défense avait endossé la version des faits que lui avait donnée la force Licorne en Côte-d'Ivoire. Dans un communiqué publié le 17 mai 2005, le ministère relatait que l'Ivoirien tué, " un dénommé Mahé, connu comme étant le chef d'une bande de coupeurs de route recherchés pour de nombreuses exactions en avril " (au moins 5 morts, 9 blessés et 4 viols), avait " ouvert le feu en direction des éléments de la force Licorne ". Ceux-ci, " en état de légitime défense, avaient riposté ". Et, " blessé très grièvement ", le suspect avait été arrêté et était " mort des suites de ses blessures pendant son transfert à l'hôpital ".

Le ministère français de la Défense reconnaît aujourd'hui que les faits ne s'étaient pas déroulés tel qu'il les avait relatés il y a 5 mois. Il dit avoir reçu il y a juste une semaine, un coup de fil d'un officier supérieur indiquant que les circonstances de la mort de Mahé étaient tout autres. Les soldats français avaient repéré le jeune Ivoirien le long d'une route lors d'une patrouille en rase campagne. Mahé avait tenté de s'enfuir à travers champ. Le chef de peloton avait alors fait débarquer ses hommes, qui avaient tous ouvert le feu. Quelque 650 cartouches avaient été tirées. Blessé grièvement, Mahé aurait par la suite été ligoté sur le char et conduit à Man, en zone rebelle. Le général Poncet était, semble-t-il, au courant de ce qui s'était réellement passé et avait néanmoins accepté qu'une version différente soit envoyée à Paris pour camoufler ce crime de guerre et couvrir ses hommes.

Our gist:

The crime the four-star general is accused of concealing occurred May13, 2005. At the time, the French Ministry of Defense had endorsed the version of the facts given it by the Licorne force in Côte-d'Ivoire. In an official statement published on May 17, 2005, the ministry reported the slain Ivoirian, "called Mahé, known as a leader of highway bandits and sought for many exactions in April" (at least 5 deaths, 9 wounded and 4 rapes), "had opened fire on elements of the Licorne force". "In self-defence, the force responded". "Very seriously wounded", the suspect was arrested and "had died from his wounds during transfer to the hospital".

The French Ministry of Defense recognizes today that the facts were not as it reported them 5 months ago. Last week it received a phone call from a senior officer indicating the circumstances of Mahé's death were very different. French soldiers on patrol located the young Ivoirian along a road in open country. Mahé had tried to flee through the field. The squad leader discharged his men, who opened fire, expending some 650 rounds. Seriously wounded, Mahé was then tied to a tank and transported to the rebel-held town of Man.

To hurry M. Mahé along, the French wrapped his head in a plastic bag and smothered him.

Blessé à la jambe par les soldats français, le coupeur de routes présumé Fabien Mahé "aurait été achevé et étouffé, sans doute dans un sac en plastique serré 'à mains nues', puis jeté dans une fosse commune" par ce sous-officier, accuse l'hebdomadaire.

Wounded in the leg by the French soldiers, the bandit presumed to be Fabien Mahé "was finished off and choked, indisputably in a tightened plastic bag 'with bare hands', then thrown in a common grave" by the warrant officer, accuses the weekly magazine [Le Point].

General Poncet apparently well-informed of what had really occurred, nevertheless accepted that a different version be sent to Paris to disguise the war crime and to cover his men.

The AFP dispatch ends on this perplexing note:

A military prosecutor in the country has begun investigations against persons unknown for murder.

Why not have a look at the roster of the French squad that apprehended and murdered M. Mahé? Just a suggestion -- to help kick things off

The defense minister is keen to establish a believable story. You may recall Mdm. Alliot-Marie, the dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™, has used the French self-defense story before -- only to be disabused by pesky facts, the witnesses, and the evidence.

Asked to comment, Mdm. Alliot-Marie said, through her spokesperson, she had only one word: Abu Ghraib. Abu Ghraib !

PFFT (What is this?): Rien à cacher 0 | Circulez, il n'y a rien à voir 4 | Rayonnement français 0

Perhaps Damian should also enlighten PAVE on:

A- why the UN unanimously supported France on the issue of Ivory Coast, before and after the massacre.

B- What a sweetheart Mr Gbagbo is and what his résumé is.

C- What the internal situation in Ivory Coast is at the moment.