Overview
- The 7th Alpine Chasseurs Battalion corporal disappeared during a patrol crossing a swollen waterway, and his body was recovered after roughly 21 hours of searches.
- He had been on a four‑month posting since September 25 within the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment based in Cayenne.
- The Armed Forces ministry said ground, river and air assets were deployed for the search, and Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin posted condolences on X.
- Operation Harpie, launched in 2008, targets illegal gold mining and related trafficking in French Guiana’s remote interior, with about 1,000 missions conducted each year.
- The death follows earlier Harpie‑linked fatalities, including a May incident in fast water, and Le Figaro reports this is the 13th military death tied to the operation.