Angry army wives protest in Paris over military working conditions Published duration 26 August 2017

image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption Members and supporters of the Angry Soldiers' Wives group pictured at the protest

Several hundred women married to French soldiers are holding a demonstration in Paris to denounce the "deplorable working conditions" in the army.

The protest was organised by the group Angry Soldiers' Wives, which has nearly 5,200 members.

Mercedes Crépin, who helped set it up, said some troops on anti-terror duty were being housed in damp hangars infested with cockroaches and lice.

Around 500 people were expected to join the protest, Le Figaro reported

After the Islamist attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, the French government deployed more than 7,000 soldiers to guard prominent public places and events.

French news sites reported on Saturday that one soldier linked to the operation had shot himself dead on Friday night.

The military wives have several concerns - among them, the lack of support for the families of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"We feel completely helpless, we do not know how to cope with the condition, how to support our men," said Ms Crépin, whose husband has PTSD after serving in Afghanistan.

"We want to show our discomfort, our anxiety and our anger," she told TV channel France 3.

Ms Crépin also raised the plight of soldiers' widows, saying some are obliged to leave military housing within two to three months of losing their husbands, and get little help from the army.

The army payment system is a further source of grievance. The software has reportedly left families in debt after troops were mistakenly overpaid, then asked to pay back the surplus.

image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption The demonstrators are protesting over budget cuts and conditions in the army

image copyright EPA image caption French troops have been repeatedly targeted by attackers in recent months

The wives and partners of police officers took to the streets of Paris to protest after the killing of an officer on the Champs Elysees.

Their action condemning anti-police violence came two days after officer Xavier Jugelé was shot dead.