PARIS: The French army has prevented 14 Ukrainian members of the Foreign Legion from traveling east with the possible intention of joining the fighting in their homeland, their commander said Wednesday.
Nine in the group were on leave but not authorized to travel abroad when they were stopped Tuesday in Paris. The others were absent without leave or considered missing, Legion commander Alain Lardet told AFP.
They were arrested on a coach headed for Poland neighboring Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion for the past week.
The Foreign Legion, an elite corps comprising around 9,500 soldiers, is the only French army unit in which foreign nationals can enlist.
They qualify for French nationality after several years of service, or sooner if they distinguish themselves in battle.
It was not immediately clear whether the 14 were planning to join the fighting in Ukraine, or simply help their families who had fled Ukraine, the military command said. No weapons or other unauthorized equipment was found on them.
But some of the civilian passengers on the bus were carrying gear that led the authorities to believe that they were planning to join the fighting.
The Foreign Legion has reported 25 desertions by Ukrainian-born soldiers, with around a dozen of them believed to be planning to help the fight against the Russian army.
The Legion has “cut them loose,” Lardet said. “They are fighting for a cause that it is not my role to judge.”
The Foreign Legion counts 710 soldiers of Ukrainian origin of whom 210 have been naturalized, and 450 Russian-born troops.
While there has been “no tension between the communities” since Russia invaded its neighbor, Ukrainians in the Foreign Legion have been “very worried for their families,” Lardet said.
They can apply for an exceptional two-week leave to travel to one of Ukraine’s neighboring countries to assist their families fleeing the war, but are not authorized to cross into Ukraine itself, he said.
On Tuesday, 25 such permits were granted, with several more expected Wednesday, but none of the Ukrainians arrested on Tuesday were in possession of such a document.
The nine who had regular leave for France only are unlikely to be punished because they had not been told properly that there was now a legal way to join their families, the commander said.
But the five others will be ordered into military detention for an unspecified number of days, having committed “a serious violation of the Legion members’ code of honor,” he said.
France stops foreign legionnaires heading toward Ukraine
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France stops foreign legionnaires heading toward Ukraine
- Nine in the group, of 14, were on leave but not authorized to travel abroad when they were stopped in Paris — the others were absent without leave or considered missing
- The Foreign Legion has reported 25 desertions by Ukrainian-born soldiers, with around a dozen of them believed to be planning to help the fight against the Russian army
Indonesia reaffirms Yemen’s territorial integrity, backs stability efforts amid tensions
- Statement comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE weapons shipment at Yemeni port city
- Jakarta last week said it ‘appreciates’ Riyadh ‘working together’ with Yemen to restore stability
JAKARTA: Indonesia has called for respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity and commended efforts to maintain stability in the region, a day after Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment from the UAE at a Yemeni port city that Riyadh said was intended for separatist forces.
Saudi Arabia carried out a “limited airstrike” at Yemen’s port city of Al-Mukalla in the southern province of Hadramout on Tuesday, following the arrival of an Emirati shipment that came amid heightened tensions linked to advances by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “appreciates further efforts by concerned parties to maintain stability and security,” particularly in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.
“Indonesia reaffirms the importance of peaceful settlement through an inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue under the coordination of the United Nations and respecting Yemen’s legitimate government and territorial integrity,” Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said.
The latest statement comes after Jakarta said last week that it “appreciates the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as other relevant countries, working together with Yemeni stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.”
Saudi Arabia leads the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which includes the UAE and was established in 2015 to combat the Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen.
Riyadh has been calling on the STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthi rebels, to withdraw after it launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops last month, seeking an independent state in the south.
Indonesia has also urged for “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral action that could impact security conditions,” and has previously said that the rising tensions in Yemen could “further deteriorate the security situation and exacerbate the suffering” of the Yemeni people.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are its main trade and investment partners in the Middle East.
