Paul Barril, French ‘Supergendarme’ Turned Mercenary, Has Died

What the report says

Paul Barril, a former French gendarmerie officer who became known as a security adviser and mercenary figure in Africa, has died at 80, according to an announcement from the French interior ministry. He died at his home in Antibes, France, on Oct. 20 after living with Parkinson’s disease. The New York Times said Barril had first built a reputation in elite police units, including the GIGN, before leaving the force in 1984 and founding a security company called Secrets.

The article describes Barril as a controversial figure whose clients included African leaders such as Omar Bongo of Gabon and Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Congo. Human rights groups later accused him of supplying arms and training to Rwanda’s Hutu സർക്കാർ during the 1994 genocide, and French investigators examined his role for years. The Times reported that authorities found a 1994 contract in his Paris office that appeared to commit him to providing weapons, ammunition and trainers to the Rwandan government, though he was never charged in connection with the genocide.

Barril had earlier been linked to other political and security controversies in France, including allegations tied to an anti-terrorism operation in Vincennes and a later wiretapping scandal during the Mitterrand years. He was also known for writing several autobiographies and for portraying himself as a man working at the edge of official power. The report places his career in the broader context of “Françafrique,” the network of political, financial and security ties between France and its former African colonies.