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Two Indians – one from Kattu of Hemmadi Gram Panchayat limits in Kundapur taluk and another  from Lucknow  – were mistakenly killed by French soldiers in the Central African Republic on Monday, when they were apparently trying to leave the country that plunged into chaos following a coup two days back.

France has conveyed its regret to India and promised a probe into the incident.
Krishnayya Mogaveera, 37, of Kattu and Karna Bahadur of Lucknow were killed, when the French soldiers guarding the Banqui M’Poko International Airport opened fire on the vehicles they were travelling in. Six Indians and a few other Chadians were injured in the incident.

France claimed that the tragic incident had taken place as its soldiers had mistaken the vehicles carrying Indian and Chadian nationals as those of the gunmen loyal to rebel leader Michel Djotodia, who has proclaimed himself as the new President of the Central African Republic, after dethroning Francois Bozize in a coup last Sunday.

French President Francois Hollande wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express regret for the tragic incident and promised to order an investigation into it.

Singh received the letter from Hollande late on Monday, soon after he landed at Durban in South Africa to attend the fifth BRICS summit. Defence Minister A K Antony too received a call from his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday.

Antony requested Drian to ensure the safety of the other Indian nationals in the Central African Republic.

Central African Republic ceased to be a French colony in 1960. France, however, continued to have its soldiers in the country to protect its interests. The French government last Saturday sent additional troops to protect the airport in Banqui, after reports indicated that the rebels led by Djotodia were preparing to stage a coup to overthrow Bozize. 

Trading, a main business

Mogaveera and Bahadur were among about 100 Indians living in Central African Republic, mostly engaged in trading and construction works, in and around the capital town of Banqui. The incident took place at a time when tension prevailed in and around Banqui, after 13 South African soldiers, deployed in Central African Republic, were killed by the gunmen loyal to Djotodia.

Paris is understood to have conveyed to New Delhi that the French soldiers guarding the M’Poko International Airport in Banqui had been fired upon from unidentified gunmen at around 11 30 am IST on Monday. A truck had tried to break into the airport, but made a U-turn and sped away from the scene after being fired upon.

“About an hour later,” said a senior official in Delhi, “three vehicles were seen speeding into the airport. They ignored the warning shots fired by the French troops and continued to move towards the airport at a very high speed. The French soldiers then opened fire at the vehicles, killing two Indians and injuring others.”

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence of the French government on Tuesday, the soldiers immediately took care of the injured Indian and Chadian nationals. “Deeply regretting this tragedy, the French Minister of Defence has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the exact circumstances. All light will be shed in liaison and full transparency with the Indian and Chadian authorities.”

Sources told Deccan Herald that the injured Indians and Chadians were flown to a medical facility of the French Army at N’Djamena, the capital of neighbouring Chad