Paris
France’s most notorious mercenary went on trial in absentia this week, charged with staging a coup in the Comoros Islands. Bob Denard fought as a hired gun for decades, in wars across Africa and the Middle East. Now 76, he suffers from Alzheimer’s and is unable to follow court proceedings. In 1995, Denard and 26 others took Comoros President Said Mohamed Djohar hostage for several days, before being arrested by French troops. What is unknown—and what could come out during the trial—is whom the mercenaries were working for. The defense says it will call top French officials, including former Prime Minister Alain Juppé. The Comoros Islands, in the Indian Ocean, have had more than 20 coups since they won independence from France in 1975.
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