The operation successfully freed four hostages, including two French nationals, a South Korean, and an American.

[2][3] On May 1, 2019, French tourists Laurent Lassimouillas and Patrick Picque were kidnapped in Pendjari National Park in Benin.

[6] According to the French General Staff, the jihadists stayed in Burkina Faso for several days with the intention of handing the hostages to the Katiba Macina in Mali.

[3] Immediately after the kidnapping, the Direction du renseignement militaire (DRM) began intelligence missions aided by the United States and Burkina Faso.

The latter two had been held for 28 days, and French officials stated that the South Korean and American's discovery was a surprise.

[3] Two French petty officers, Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello were killed during the operation, and were given a national tribute on May 14 in Les Invalides.

[14] The Beninese, Burkinabe, American, and French governments all congratulated the operation and expressed condolences to the two soldiers.