French army chief resigns after soldier shoots 17 people

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — France's army chief of staff resigned Tuesday two days after a soldier wounded 17 people by mistakenly firing live ammunition into the crowd during a display at an army base, the presidency said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy promised severe punishment following the shooting, which happened as hundreds of parents and children watched a mock hostage rescue operation Sunday near the southwestern city of Carcassonne.

"The president of the republic, head of the armed forces, has accepted the offer of resignation by General Bruno Cuche, chief of staff of the army," Sarkozy's office said in a statement Tuesday.

"This powerful gesture follows the tragedy that occurred last Sunday in Carcassonne," the presidency said.

Cuche, 60, served as a...