Behind his hood to preserve his anonymity, squadron leader Christian has forgotten nothing about these timeless 54 hours which marked the history of the GIGN [Groupe d’intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale, NDLR]. At 57, he is the last soldier still active, in charge of the selection and training of young recruits on the Satory base in the Paris region. “I like to think that the spirit of GIGN is passed down from generation to generation: this sense of duty, this mastery of fire and this trust that we have in each other. »
On December 24, 1994, a young member of the unit for two years, he was preparing to celebrate Christmas with his family, when he received a phone call. “I am asked to return quickly to Paris because there is a hostage taking in progress at Algiers airport. I immediately understand the seriousness of the situation. »
Dozens of hostages on board
A first team is sent to the Spanish island of Majorca aboard a military plane and a “sister-ship”, a second plane comparable in every way to the Airbus A300 immobilized in Algeria to familiarize themselves with the device. “You have to understand that intervening in a plane is the most delicate thing, it requires preparation” confirms Denis Favier, then commander of the GIGN at the age of 35. “There are agreements with Air France so that we can regularly work on air piracy. »
After the death of a third hostage, the Algerian government – under pressure from Paris – agreed to let the plane fly to France, which landed in Marignane in the middle of the night, under the pretext of refueling. This is where the men of the GIGN are waiting for him. “Generally when there is a hostage situation, it is established when we disembark,” explains Denis Favier. “There, it’s the opposite, when the plane arrives, we are already positioned. We are one step ahead. » But also all the weight of responsibilities. “We are now accountable for the crisis. Its resolution will only rest on our ability to intervene. There are still 180 hostages on board. It's colossal. We measure in gravity what that represents. »
Integrated into an assault column, squadron leader Christian is finally repositioned in support as a sniper. “Once there, we noticed that we were missing a buddy on the left rear door. » Placed 230 m from the device, its mission is clear. “Observe, inform and support the teams who will enter. »
The assault lasts seventeen minutes
A long phase of negotiations then begins. But there is no question of letting the terrorists leave, whose objective is certainly to crash the plane in Paris. The latter became impatient, moved the aircraft towards the control tower and machine-gunned it. The assault is inevitable. “We are no longer in a deliberate action plan, we are in the worst configuration. We act in response,” insists the head of the GIGN.
Three motorized catwalks approach the plane, two at the rear, one at the front, while the hijackers gather in the cockpit. “It allows us to free the hostages very quickly, but it complicates the task at the front where there are still three crew members who must be taken out alive and four terrorists in a small space,” summarizes Denis Favier who integrated the right front column. “My place is with men. At GIGN, we have no credibility if we are not engaged in fire. »
Faced with the urgency of the situation, the squadron leader's position changed. “I am leaning on the right front door and I am using my weapon. » The assault lasts seventeen minutes. An eternity with powerful images that will go around the world. “They helped establish our reputation, but let’s imagine for a moment that this assault had been a failure, they would have been our cross, we would have carried it all our lives,” testifies the leader of the GIGN.
“There is nobility in this commitment”
Fortunately, all the hostages are unharmed and the terrorists eliminated. Despite the danger and the high intensity of the action, the GIGN demonstrated remarkable composure. “A sum of individualities for the benefit of a collective,” pleads squadron leader Christian. “When the first in the column enters the plane, if he is injured, we remove him and another takes his place. »
But there's no question of being heroes. “Committing for life is the motto of the GIGN. We have duties in relation to that,” he naturally insists. As for General Denis Favier, today director of security at TotalEnergies, he gives a slight smile. “It gives meaning to our own lives. There is nobility in this commitment because we are ready to go very far for this…”
