Camille Gourvenec

Camille Gourvennec (died December 1978) was an officer of the French external intelligence service SDECE, possibly with the rank of colonel, who, from 1963, was seconded as security adviser to President François Tombalbaye of Chad, and was therefore effectively head of Tombalbaye's security and intelligence service. In this capacity, he was responsible for the arrest and harsh interrogation of dissidents, as well as being implicated in the 1973 assassination of Outel Bono. He had previously served with the French forces in Algeria. It has been alleged that he was a key member of the Françafrique network, led by Jacques Foccart.

Biography Activities in Chad Gourvennec was employed in Chad in the 1960s. From 1963 onwards, he was director of the Bureau de coordination et de synthèse du renseignement (BCSR), the feared secret police of Chadian strongman François Tombalbaye. The BCSR had first started as a Chadian extension of the French SDECE. It later acquired more autonomy, but Gourvennec remained in contact with the SDECE through .

In his capacity as security chief, he is believed to have been personally involved in the interrogation (under torture) of numerous opponents of Tombalbaye's regime. According to historian Nathaniel Powell, the role of Gourvennec and the Chadian regime in Bono's killing has been established through "clear evidence", whereas the involvement of the broader French authorities and the SDECE remains a matter of debate. ) made him highly unfit to negotiate successfully with the rebels and contributed to his capture and execution. In December 1978, Gourvennec was found dead in a pool of blood in his Paris apartment. While his death was officially ruled a consequence of throat cancer,