Word: denard
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...mercenary standards, Robert Denard's was an illustrious career. The French soldier of fortune waged war throughout three decades in such places as the old Congo, Angola and Benin and had a hand in the overthrow of three governments in the Comoro Islands. But Denard may have finally pushed fortune too far. Involved in the assassination of Comoro President Ahmed Abdallah, Denard and his mercenary minions were running the country until late last week, when French troops called in by the Comoro interim President hastened his departure...
...Denard was flown to South Africa, but Pretoria made it clear that he could not stay. Not only are officials there embarrassed by Denard's latest alleged caper, but also rumors persist that the $3 million South Africa spent annually until recently on the Comoros' presidential guard has served largely to line the mercenaries' pockets. Denard expects an even cooler reception in France. There he faces charges stemming from a failed 1977 coup attempt against Benin President Mathieu Kerekou...
...Denard's departure does not necessarily spell relief for the embattled Comoros. With the mercenaries gone, angry citizens may be looking to settle old scores with collaborators...
...even in the Comoros, time may be running out for the white adventurers. Denard's prominence has made the Comorans outcasts in black Africa. When Comoran diplomats showed up at the recent summit meeting of the Organization for African Unity, they were branded the "Denard delegation" and unceremoniously thrown out. Western nations that would like to help the Comoros are reluctant to extend aid to a nation dominated by a pack of hired guns. Says a Comoran official: "Our biggest problem now is how to get the mercenaries out and re-establish relations with the rest of Africa...
That will take some doing, as Denard has shown no signs of quitting his island stronghold. Each night, fire trucks and service vehicles are drawn up on the airstrip at Moroni airport to keep unwelcome visitors-including a commando force that Uganda's Idi Amin has threatened to launch-from dropping in. "If the people ask us to leave," says Denard, "we'll be gone the next morning. If they don't ask us to leave, it will take 100,000 Cubans to throw us out." It appears that the old mercenary has found a home-until...