Paul Barril
Encyclopedia
Paul Barril is a former officer of the French Gendarmerie Nationale
. He authored several books about his military career, touching sensitive political subjects of the Mitterrand
era.
Barril was a gendarme until 1995. He was the second officer of the GIGN Special Forces unit for 10 years, before being involved in the creation of the Counterterrorist Cell of the Élysée during François Mitterrand's first mandate from 1981 to 1988. Since then, he has led several private security companies
. He has been in the centre of controversies for his role in Africa, particularly in Rwanda
during the Rwandan Genocide
in 1994 during which extremist Hutu
s mass exterminated hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
. In late 1979, he was dispatched to Saudi Arabia
to help the Saudi government quell the Grand Mosque Seizure
, an uprising at Islam's holiest shrine in Mecca that was led by fundamentalist preached Juhayman al-Otaibi
. Barril was commander of the GIGN by interim in 1982-1983, while commandant Prouteau was organising the GSPR, a presidential security unit. Barril claims to having "arrested 115 people, being involved in the surrender of 61 madmen, neutralised 17 armed people without using weapons, and freed over 450 hostages."
After a car bomb
explosion near a restaurant in Rue Marbeuf in Paris on 22 April 1982, Barril and Prouteau were involved in the creation of the Counterterrorist Cell of the Elysée, along with Prouteau.
Barril was involved in several famous affairs, such as the so-called "Irish of Vincennes" and the Elysée wiretap scandal.
He also leads a company called SECRETS (for "Société d'Etudes de Conception et de Réalisation d'Equipements Techniques de Sécurité", "Society for Study, Design and Implementation of Technical Security Equipments") http://www.societe.com/cgi-bin/recherche?rncs=323209908&vu=1 which offers security interventions in foreign countries.
In 1988, Barril organised an "action group" around President Félix Houphouët-Boigny
in Côte d'Ivoire
.
right after the plane ferrying president Juvénal Habyarimana
was shot down, as the genocide started. Barril stated that he acted as a councilor to President Habyarimana. He was contacted in 1989 for a reorganisation of the Rwandan intelligence services. Other sources refer to an audit of the Rwandan army in 1990.
Barril has also been accused of playing a role in the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana which sparked the Rwandan genocide. According to the British MI6
Barril and other French agents supplied and trained radical Hutus who carried out the assassination.
Barril was also present in Kigali on the 7 and 27 April 1994. Rumour has it that after Juvénal Habyarimana was assassinated, his widow, Agathe Habyarimana
, hired Barril, via SECRETS company, to investigate the case. Barril declared to journalists of Le Monde
and France 2
that he was in possession of the black boxes of the plane, and promoted the thesis that the FPR (Rwandan Patriotic Front
), led by the Tutsi
Paul Kagame
, was involved in the attack.
At the same time, on 20 May 1994, Barril was hired by the Hutu temporary government to recover a 1 650 000 US$ payment made for canceled weapon imports.
Gendarmerie Nationale (France)
In France, the National Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces, in charge of public safety, with police duties among the civilian population. It also contains a military police force and a special forces component . It has a strength of more than 105,975 persons...
. He authored several books about his military career, touching sensitive political subjects of the Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
era.
Barril was a gendarme until 1995. He was the second officer of the GIGN Special Forces unit for 10 years, before being involved in the creation of the Counterterrorist Cell of the Élysée during François Mitterrand's first mandate from 1981 to 1988. Since then, he has led several private security companies
Private security companies
Private security companies can refer to:* companies that employ security guards* Private military companies* Private security company...
. He has been in the centre of controversies for his role in Africa, particularly in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
during the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
in 1994 during which extremist Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
s mass exterminated hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Military career
Barril was second officer of the GIGN from 1974 to 1982, as aid to commandant Christian ProuteauChristian Prouteau
Christian Prouteau is a French officer of the Gendarmerie Nationale. He was involved in the organisation of the GIGN and the GSPR.- Biography :...
. In late 1979, he was dispatched to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to help the Saudi government quell the Grand Mosque Seizure
Grand Mosque Seizure
The Grand Mosque Seizure on November 20, 1979, was an armed attack and takeover by Islamist dissidents of the Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in Islam...
, an uprising at Islam's holiest shrine in Mecca that was led by fundamentalist preached Juhayman al-Otaibi
Juhayman al-Otaibi
Juhayman ibn Muhammad ibn Sayf al-Otaibi was a militant who led the takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, in the last months of 1979.-Biography:...
. Barril was commander of the GIGN by interim in 1982-1983, while commandant Prouteau was organising the GSPR, a presidential security unit. Barril claims to having "arrested 115 people, being involved in the surrender of 61 madmen, neutralised 17 armed people without using weapons, and freed over 450 hostages."
After a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
explosion near a restaurant in Rue Marbeuf in Paris on 22 April 1982, Barril and Prouteau were involved in the creation of the Counterterrorist Cell of the Elysée, along with Prouteau.
Barril was involved in several famous affairs, such as the so-called "Irish of Vincennes" and the Elysée wiretap scandal.
Private security business
After the "Irishmen from Vincennes" affair, in 1984, Barril created the company Epsylon in Paris.He also leads a company called SECRETS (for "Société d'Etudes de Conception et de Réalisation d'Equipements Techniques de Sécurité", "Society for Study, Design and Implementation of Technical Security Equipments") http://www.societe.com/cgi-bin/recherche?rncs=323209908&vu=1 which offers security interventions in foreign countries.
In 1988, Barril organised an "action group" around President Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
in Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
.
Rwanda
Barril was involved in Rwanda during the first half of the 90s. He went to KigaliKigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
right after the plane ferrying president Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana was the third President of the Republic of Rwanda, the post he held longer than any other president to date, from 1973 until 1994. During his 20-year rule he favored his own ethnic group, the Hutus, and supported the Hutu majority in neighboring Burundi against the Tutsi...
was shot down, as the genocide started. Barril stated that he acted as a councilor to President Habyarimana. He was contacted in 1989 for a reorganisation of the Rwandan intelligence services. Other sources refer to an audit of the Rwandan army in 1990.
Barril has also been accused of playing a role in the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana which sparked the Rwandan genocide. According to the British MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
Barril and other French agents supplied and trained radical Hutus who carried out the assassination.
Barril was also present in Kigali on the 7 and 27 April 1994. Rumour has it that after Juvénal Habyarimana was assassinated, his widow, Agathe Habyarimana
Agathe Habyarimana
Agathe Habyarimana is the widow of former President of Rwanda Juvénal Habyarimana. Kanziga is part of a Hutu lineage that long ruled an independent principality until the late nineteenth century...
, hired Barril, via SECRETS company, to investigate the case. Barril declared to journalists of Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
and France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
that he was in possession of the black boxes of the plane, and promoted the thesis that the FPR (Rwandan Patriotic Front
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
), led by the Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...
, was involved in the attack.
At the same time, on 20 May 1994, Barril was hired by the Hutu temporary government to recover a 1 650 000 US$ payment made for canceled weapon imports.