Editing Bob Denard

Bob Denard (Grayan-et-l'Hôpital, April 7, 1929 - Paris, October 13, 2007) was a French mercenary. He was known as Gilbert Bourgead or Saīd Mustapha Mhadjou.

Since the 1960s he has been involved in numerous postcolonial conflicts (Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Angola, Kabinda, Zaire, Comoros). He had French support in several of them.

Between 1960 and 1963 he was one of the leaders of the Katanga uprising, aided by Moïse Tshombe. In 1963-64 he served in Yemen in support of the royalist army. He returned to Zaire in 1965 to fight the communist rebels, in 1975 he fought in Angola for UNITA and in 1977 he attempted a coup in Benin.

He was the protagonist in four coups in the Comoros. In 1975 he ousted President Ahmed Abdallah. He took part in three other coups: 1978, 1989 and 1995.

Born Catholic he converted to Judaism, then to Islam and finally converted to Catholicism.