“You have to look at what is happening next to you,” says Tony Fortin, in charge of studies on arms sales at theArms Observatory from Lyon. In May 2022, he and Patrice Bouveret, co-founder of the association, published a report entitled War is made close to home. A report in which they “question the role of arms and law enforcement companies in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region” in countries at war. In this 28-page file, eleven local companies were screened. “Some are indeed associated with current wars and repressions” and “contribute, through the sale of their materials and components, to fueling conflicts or the repression of demonstrations”, summarize the authors.
Both focused on the activities of Corpguard, a company domiciled in Brignais, in the west of Lyon. “Fireman or arsonist of conflicts? “, thus titles the Observatory of armaments in the chapter which is dedicated to it, wondering about the missions of the company in Côte d’Ivoire in 2016 and asking the State, through this example, “an urgent regulation of these private military companies (PMC)”. At a time when the Wagner group found itself at the heart of the news, 20 minutes answers questions about Corpguard.
What does Corpguard actually do?
“Corpguard is an operational security and defense service company that does not meet the appellation of private military company”, explains David Hornus, its founder. And to add: “As soon as you put the words ‘military’ and ‘private’ in the same sentence, people think it’s mercenary. But that has nothing to do with paramilitary groups, because we are not engaged in combat operations as non-state actors. »
“No, I’m not like Wagner. I am unarmed, I have ethics, I follow a precise process and I am transparent,” he insists.
The profile of his clients is, he says, very varied. They can be both lawyers and NGOs. The nature of the services boils down to “crisis management”, further specifies David Hornus. “We can carry out investigative investigations, but also be negotiators in ransom demands,” he explains. The company also confirms that it works with states, such as Côte d’Ivoire, which asked it, in 2016, “to ensure the training of a battalion in peacekeeping operating mode”, against a remuneration of six million euros.
In other words, the mission on the spot consisted in part of teaching the “protection of civilians” and showing how to intervene in the event of demonstrations. All these aspects meet specifications, insists David Hornus. “For this mission, I sent twenty consultants as instructors. None were armed, even if they did indeed give courses on the armament and the handling of the weapons, defends the PDG. In addition, there were also other courses on the dangers of mines or on gender equality. »
According to Tony Fortin, Corpguard “plays on words”. “From the moment you train soldiers, you are in the military, and we cannot say that it is security,” he believes.
Why is Corpguard singled out by the Arms Observatory report?
In 2016, 1,000 Ivorian soldiers were trained for eight months by Corpguard teams. Four years later, as the presidential elections approached, a dozen civilians were killed and hundreds injured “by army fire” during a demonstration, recalls the Observatory of Armaments.
“How did Corpguard fulfill its mission as a peacekeeping operation, wonders Tony Fortin. David Hornus even admitted to us, during a debate last January, that the soldiers he had trained had all vanished. Does that mean they went to other conflict areas? Do they use their know-how for missions other than maintaining order in Côte d’Ivoire? »
The observatory does not fail, either, to wonder about the past activities of David Hornus. In 2003, the man co-founded the private military company Secopex, now dissolved. This PMC “became known in a resounding way for its activities in Libya, acting with the CNT [Conseil national de transition], representing the government, she was also introduced “into terrorist circles”, notes the report, which goes back to the confessions of a former French officer approached at the time by the company to form private militias in Côte d’Ivoire. . “The Secopex, they are very badly seen in the military world, they eat at all the racks, there is no ethics. They will agree to work for a bloodthirsty head of state as well as for his adversaries, provided they are paid,” denounced the ex-soldier at the time.
Today, David Hornus responds bluntly. “At the time, we wanted to be the first of its kind in France, and use former soldiers to go and secure French interests in Iraq”, he confides without embarrassment, before affirming that he has distanced himself from the company in 2006 and therefore “no longer have any connection with Libyan affairs”. Not enough to convince Tony Fortin. “In his work Hazard Areawe learn that he managed missions from Lyon on Libyan territory,” he replies.
What are the current regulations for SMPs?
David Hornus claims to be “on the side of the good guys” and boasts of being the only one, of the dozen French defense companies, to be certified by theIcoca (the international code of conduct for private security companies).
“It has no legal value, unlike a national law or a treaty, notes Tony Fortin. There is no real transparency. David Hornus was even elected to the board of directors in 2019, so he was judge and jury. The question then arises, how does Corpguard account for respect for human rights in this context? But also, who funds this organization? »
According to Tony Fortin, “advice activities, such as shooting training” should be subject to government authorization. However, “the last real law dates from twenty years ago”, he recalls. It concerned “the repression of mercenarism”, prohibiting “direct participation in hostilities, as well as any recruitment activity, training going in this direction. »
Because the PMCs or other defense companies have “no account to render to the French government” on their activities, as confirmed by David Hornus, the Armaments Observatory pleads for “true state control”. A relatively delicate question. “Private military companies are used to subcontract activities that we don’t want to take on from public opinion. In the event of a massacre, we will say that it is the fault of the company and not of France, explains Tony Fortin. The State does not want to recognize these companies to avoid there being a public debate on it. »