Loyada

In February 1976, of the Terroriste S Somali S acting with the agreement of their government takes as an hostage a Autobus of Enfant S with Djibouti. The French forces on the spot precipitate with their continuation and the following day, a company of legionaries Parachutiste S gives the attack to release the hostages.

Introduction

The February 3rd 1976 with 07:15, a military bus carrying out the school bus service of the children of air base 188 is captured by 4 terrorists armed in the district with Ambouli and is directed towards the Somali, distant border of 18 kilometers.

Unfolding

The bus, with on its board 31 children, the driver and a social worker, is immobilized in French territory with ten meters only of the Somali border post of Loyada. The armed forces are put at once in alarm.

The 2nd company of the 2nd foreign regiment parachutists, ordered by the Soubirou captain and on mission of short duration to the 13th half-brigade of Foreign legion, is spread near the border post. It is reinforced in the evening by the light armoured cars of the squadron of recognition of the 13 . On the other side of the border, Somali soldiers gave an opinion behind the barbed wires. The night fall without it being possible to guess the intentions of the takers of hostages.

The February 4th, a group of marksmen of the national police, GIGN, arrives of metropolis. The bus with its passengers is always immobilized with the same site. The four terrorists were reinforced by elements come from Somalia. Somali regular soldiers are installed on both sides border post. The marksmen of the gendarmerie are installed in front of the palm plantation.

The marksmen of the 13th DBLE and the 2nd REFERENCE MARK gave an opinion in the vicinity. The company of the 2nd REFERENCE MARK is on standby in the palm plantation in the east of the position. The armoured cars are with 500 meters in the north of the position behind which a squadron of the anti-riot police is also on standby.

The General Brasart, commander higher of the Armed forces of the French territory of Afars and Issas directs the operations since its PC located between the palm plantation and the position.

With 15:45 the marksmen open fire. At the same time, the 2nd company of the REFERENCE MARK gives the attack while the light armoured cars (AML) are spread on line vis-a-vis the border. The mission is to protect recovery from the children and to neutralize the regular Somali posted close to the border post if they had suddenly drawn.

But at the beginning of the action the legionaries are taken under the shootings of automatic weapons coming on the Somali side. These shootings are quickly neutralized by the AML, making it possible the sections of the 2nd company to reach the edges, to penetrate in the bus, to extract from them the children and the two adults who are put at once at the shelter.

With 16:05 the action is finished. It lasted only twenty minutes.

Assessment

2 children were killed by a terrorist remained hidden in the bus, of which a dead young girl of her wounds after the operation;
5 others as well as the social worker and the driver were wounded;
1 child was taken along to Somalia and was released later;
1 lieutenant of the 2nd company was also wounded in the action;
7 takers of hostage were killed;
the number of the Somali soldiers killed in the fixing could not be given.

Internal bonds

Foreign legion
Group of intervention of the national police
2nd foreign regiment parachutists

External bonds

historical Service of the armies: The attack of Interview of the surviving rebels on the Nation (hebdo of Djibouti)
GIGN against FLCS in the Djibouti desert

the site of the 2 {{E}} REFERENCE MARK

Sources:

Division communication and information of the Foreign legion
the review '' white Képi ''

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