Bob Denard
| Bob Denard | |
|---|---|
| Born |
29 April 1929 Grayan-et-l'Hôpital, Gironde, France |
| Died | 13 October 2007 (aged 78) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |
 France Katanga Comoros
|
| Service/branch | French Navy |
| Years of service | Indefinite |
| Rank | Head of the Presidential Guard of Ahmed Abdallah |
| Unit | 7 Independent Company (1977–78) |
| Commands held | Mercenary units |
| Battles/wars |
First Indochina War Algerian War Katanga secession North Yemen Civil War Simba Rebellion Operation Crevette Rhodesian Bush War Operation Azalee |
Robert "Bob" Denard (7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French soldier and mercenary. Sometimes known under the aliases "Gilbert Bourgeaud" and "Saïd Mustapha Mahdjoub", he was known for having performed various jobs in support of Françafrique—France's sphere of influence in its former colonies in Africa—for Jacques Foccart, co-ordinator of President Charles de Gaulle's African policy.
Having served with the French Navy in the Algerian War, the ardently anti-communist Denard took part in the Katanga secession effort in the 1960s and subsequently operated in many African countries including Congo, Angola, Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), and Gabon. Between 1975 and 1995, he participated in four coup attempts in the Comoro Islands. It is widely believed that his adventures had the implicit support of the French state, even after the 1981 election of the French Socialist Party candidate, François Mitterrand, despite moderate changes in France's policy in Africa.
Born a Roman Catholic, Denard converted first to Judaism, then to Islam, and finally back to Catholicism again. He was polygamously married seven times, and fathered eight children.
After having served with the French Navy in Indochina and in French Algeria, Denard served as a colonial policeman in Morocco from 1952 to 1957. In 1954, he was convicted of an assassination plot against Prime Minister Pierre Mendès-France, a left-wing member of the Radical-Socialist Party who was negotiating the end of the Indochina War and withdrawal from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, and served 14 months in jail. An adamant anti-communist, Denard then took part in many anti-colonialist conflicts, simultaneously on his own behalf and on the behalf of the French state. Once he was freed from jail, he worked for the French secret services during the war in Algeria.
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Wikipedia