Back Bob Denard Afrikaans بوب دينار Arabic Боб Дэнар Byelorussian Bob Denard Czech Bob Denard Welsh Bob Denard German Μπομπ Ντενάρ Greek Bob Denard Spanish Bob Denard Basque Bob Denard Finnish
Bob Denard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Other name(s) | Gilbert Bourgeaud Saïd Mustapha Mhadjou |
| Born | 7 April 1929 Grayan-et-l'Hôpital, Gironde, France |
| Died | 13 October 2007 (aged 78) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |  France Katanga Rhodesia Comoros |
| Service/ | French Navy |
| Years of service | Indefinite |
| Rank | De facto military leader of the Comoros and Commander of the Presidential Guard of Ahmed Abdallah Colonel (in the Comorian Armed Forces) |
| Unit | 7 Independent Company (1977–1978) |
| Commands held | Mercenary units |
| Battles/wars | First Indochina War Algerian War Katanga secession Siege of Jadotville North Yemen Civil War Simba Rebellion Operation Crevette Rhodesian Bush War Operation Azalee |
Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud;[1]: 133 [2] 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French mercenary. He served as the de facto military leader of the Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again briefly from the 28th of September to the 5th of October in 1995. Sometimes known under the aliases Gilbert Bourgeaud and Saïd Mustapha Mhadjou, 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.[3][4]
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. Denard had a swashbuckling, larger-than-life image as the South African journalist Al J Venter called him "a warrior king out of Homer" who achieved the dream of every mercenary by conquering the Comoros in 1978, which he ruled via a puppet president until 1989.[5] Venter believed Denard to be the most successful of the mercenaries in Africa, and certainly one of the best known.[5]
- ^ Rosen, Fred (5 April 2005). Contract Warriors: How Mercenaries Changed History and the War on Terrorism. Alpha.
- ^ "French mercenary Bob Denard dies". 14 October 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC_obitwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Renouwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Venter 2006, p. 15.