Servant of the People in Kyiv

Chapter 124 Sankara

As they approached the conference room, Haniyev and Potanin had just stood there when Good, the legal manager of the "First Mining" Company, and engineers from the Rilsk Nickel Mine Company were also led to the conference room by officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Due to their different identities, Good and the engineers could only enter the Presidential Palace through the side door.

Since President Sankara had not arrived yet, no one could take their seats and could only stand at the side of the round table and wait.

About two minutes later, reporters and photographers from Burkina Faso approached the conference room with their equipment. The door was not reopened until they set up their equipment, and then Sankara, wearing a camouflage uniform and a beret, walked in.

Following Compaore's instructions, Sankara walked up to Haniyev and his group and shook hands with them one by one.

When Haniyev shook hands with Sankara, he felt that his palms were very hard, not as soft as those of Soviet officials. This shows that even after becoming president, Sankara still maintained the habit of exercising and even working.

After the greetings, both sides sat down, with Haniyev facing Sankara on the other side of the round table.

"Our country is very poor. As you can see, we only have one camera. In order to let the people see you all representing the Soviet Union, we can only film outside the door and then move it inside to film. This has delayed us a bit. I hope Secretary Haniyev and Secretary Potanin will understand."

Sankara said, pointing to a camera on the side.

After hearing the translated words, Haniyev thought for a moment and said, "Your country has always been a French colony, and the people have been deeply oppressed and exploited by the colonists. I personally and our Soviet Union express sympathy and indignation for this. When millions of Burkina Faso citizens were in dire straits, the people elected President Sankara to lead the people of Burkina Faso towards independence. Although there is still some poverty now, it is still a short time after all. Our Soviet Union was also poor when Comrade Lenin founded it. In the end, didn't it rely on the concerted and hard work of the people of the country to become the base and headquarters of the proletarian revolution?"

I believe that under the leadership of President Sankara, Burkina Faso will surely embark on a path of self-reliance that is unique to the people of Burkina Faso!"

After Haniyev finished speaking, Potanin's mouth twitched, and he admired in his heart: Victor is indeed a person that even the General Secretary admires. This official language is no worse than my father's...

Since Sankara led the successful revolution in his country, his prestige in the country has been very high. In addition, he is honest and incorruptible and lives in poverty, which is also seen by the people. Therefore, most people in Burkina Faso admire and praise him very much.

However, in recent years, he has gradually drifted away from many senior officials, and has been coldly received internationally. Limited by the country's economic foundation, the things he wants to do are progressing slowly. So Sankara has been a little depressed recently. At this juncture, Haniyev's visit on behalf of the Soviet officials has given him a shot in the arm.

After hearing Haniyev's praise, Sankara's dark face suddenly turned red.

Sankara looked around excitedly, especially at Compaore, Lingani, Zongo and other old friends who disagreed with him, and his eyes were filled with a sense of relief.

Seeing Sankara's frank side, Haniyev almost laughed out loud. A mystery in his heart was finally solved.

“Why did Sankara openly insult the visiting French president?

Why did Sankara, knowing that the conflict between him and Compaoré had escalated to an irreconcilable level, not take preemptive action, leading to his death by a hail of bullets?

All of this wasn't just because Sankara's confidence, built up over many years of success, had blinded him. Another reason was that he was inherently willful and straightforward. He didn't want to be a dog for the French, or the French would deal with him. He had a problem with this, so he'd vent it when the French president came. He felt that the neighboring countries were all playboys, so he'd express it openly. He felt that he and Compaoré were close friends, with a long-standing relationship. He wouldn't touch Compaoré, and Compaoré would definitely not touch him...

Haniyev's thoughts flashed by, and all his thoughts were summed up in one sentence - "I still don't read enough."

Because of Haniyev's high standards of praise and the blessing of his status, Sankara was in a good mood and had a very gentle attitude in the subsequent conversation, so much so that he relaxed the principles he originally insisted on.

The principle that Sankara has adhered to for many years is to refuse international aid because he believes that all aid and loans from Western countries are traps and a means for foreign countries to control Burkina Faso. In the words of a celebrity, it is like "borrowing online loans to pay off credit cards - getting deeper and deeper into trouble."

Therefore, since he came to power in 1984, he has been able to cut the government budget and rely on self-reliance and hard work to implement people-friendly policies such as education and medical care, and to ensure that people across the country have enough food to eat through industrial restructuring.

When the colonists were riding on our heads, we had to eat coarse food. When Sankara came, we could eat sweet potatoes and our children could go to school. Naturally, the poor people were satisfied.

But when the colonists were riding on our heads, we ate meat and drank wine. When Sankara came, we ate sweet potatoes. The intellectuals, officials, landlords, chiefs and other classes were dissatisfied.

As time goes by, the group of officers who followed Sankara to make revolution will gradually be influenced by their relatives and friends, and become the second group. Therefore, Sankara has been gradually isolated among the top leaders. However, because of his popularity and status, no one has any bad intentions, or dares to do so.

However, although Sankara could be a saint, he could not ask all officials, teachers, police and soldiers to tighten their belts like him. So after realizing that Burkina Faso's foundation was too weak and it was too difficult to build the country on its own, Sankara gradually changed his mind and began to seek assistance and loans from his two older brothers, Khitan and Sule.

Khitan offered help but failed to satisfy Sankara, so he turned to the Soviet Union for help again, but Gorbachev completely ignored Sankara. At this time, the contradictions at home and abroad in Burkina Faso had reached a level that was difficult to reconcile. Knowing the power of the Soviet Union, Sankara also changed his mind and was willing to attract foreign investment, but he would never let foreign investment control the country's resources.

Therefore, in the division of shares in the gold mine, Sankara had always demanded that they occupy 70%, but this was unreasonable for any investor, because the gold mines in Burkina Faso had not been fully surveyed. From exploration to construction, to equipment investment and processing, the series of investments was an astronomical figure. Burkina Faso did not dare to do anything but wanted to get 70%, which was a bit too much to ask for in the current era.

Perhaps it was the undercurrents in the country that moved Sankara, or perhaps it was Haniyev's attitude and rhetoric that touched Sankara. In short, in subsequent conversations, Sankara welcomed and supported the joint venture to set up a gold mine, and also softened his stance on the division of shares.

Haniyev and Potanin looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.

The two had invested too much in this project, and they couldn't imagine the price they would have to pay if it failed because of Sankara's firm attitude.

After discussing some cooperation matters after the gold mine opened, Sankara nodded with a smile. "Once completed, this gold mine will be Burkina Faso's largest industrial project. It will also alleviate Burkina Faso's financial pressure and solve the production and living problems of tens of thousands of Burkina Faso families. I want to thank Secretary Haniyev and Secretary Potanin, as well as Manager Good and all the engineers..."

The two-hour conversation ended. It was mainly Sankara communicating with Haniyev, Potanin, Goude and others. Most of the Burkina Faso officials listened attentively, which showed Sankara's authority and his arbitrary decisions.

But Sankara was indeed very energetic. He spoke for two hours without even drinking a sip of water.

Standing up and looking towards the media, Sankara said, "I have a meeting later. Please ask Compaore, the Minister of Resources, and the Minister of Industry to work with Secretary Haniyev and his colleagues to discuss the specific details as quickly as possible, sign the contract, and allow the Soviet company to enter the project as soon as possible. The sooner this project is implemented, the sooner our financial pressure will be alleviated."

Compaore nodded, and Sankara left the meeting room.

It was already 6:30 in the afternoon.

The sky outside the window was dim and the lights in the hall had already been turned on.

As Sankara left, the reporters and cameras also left. Compaore said, "Our president is a man of action. He works himself so hard that he forgets to eat or sleep, but he thinks everyone in the world should be like him, without hunger or thirst. I'm sure you're all hungry. I've arranged a dinner. Please go to the banquet hall."

Haniyev and Potanin could sense a lot of resentment from Compaore's words. They glanced at other senior officials and saw that many of them had unusual expressions. Haniyev's heart tightened. He thought that although Sankara won the hearts of the people but lost the hearts of senior officials, it was no wonder that he was killed by Compaore's coup without even informing anyone in advance.

A fairly sumptuous dinner soon began. As the second-in-command of Burkina Faso, Compaore hosted Haniyev and others at the dinner. After drinking a few glasses of wine with him, Haniyev deliberately guided the conversation and soon found out that Compaore had a deep grudge against Sankara.

According to Compaore, Sankara seemed to have murderous intentions towards him. If the Soviet delegation had not arrived, perhaps a conflict among the Burkina Faso high-level officials would have already occurred.

Haniyev was still scared until he returned to the hotel after the banquet. He had not figured out the exact time of Sankara's death, but he knew it was the fourth year of his rule. Now it was October of the fourth year of his rule. Perhaps the Compaore coup in the original historical line happened in these few days, but the arrival of his group made Compaore hesitant.

The more Haniyev thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case. He sighed softly: Sankara, I saved your life, you know...

Chapter 125 Reminders and Guidance (5K Chapter)

After a day and a half of intense discussions and negotiations, an agreement on gold exploration and mining was finally reached between the Soviet Union's "First Mining" Company and Burkina Faso.

After repeated tug-of-war, Burkina Faso finally accepted a 50% shareholding split, but required that the shares of the "First Mining" company could only be held for 30 years. After 30 years, the Burkina Faso government had the right to repurchase the shares at the market price.

After finalizing the cooperation plan, Burkina Faso held a signing ceremony, which was broadcast live nationwide by its domestic television station.

On the afternoon of October 7, in the Presidential Palace, Haniyev, Potanin, Gude and Compaore jointly signed their names on the gold mining agreement contract, and then made four copies, one for each person.

As a witness, Sankara was very happy and immediately expressed his intention to treat his Soviet friends to a dinner.

During the banquet, Haniyev talked with Sankara about the proletarian revolution, which just touched Sankara's sore spot, and he couldn't help but become excited and passionate.

Haniyev would add a few words from time to time. Even though the two did not speak the same language, Sankara still admired Haniyev very much and believed that this young man who was quite famous in the Soviet Union was indeed a talent.

"The agreement has been reached. Secretary Haniyev, your Ministry of Foreign Affairs mission is complete. Tomorrow, engineers from the First Mining Company will begin prospecting for mineral veins. It won't be until ten days or half a month before we see any results. I'll have Compaore arrange for some people to visit us in Burkina Faso and provide guidance. How do you do that?"

Haniyev stood up with a look of surprise: "Really?

I have long wanted to see with my own eyes how President Sankara built Burkina Faso, which was once poor and backward.”

No one doesn't want to be recognized by others, especially politicians. Sankara treated Haniyev and Potanin very friendly, as if they were his close comrades-in-arms.

Sankara promised Haniyev and the others that he would let them take a good look at Burkina Faso and tell him directly any opinions or suggestions they had.

The banquet was drawing to a close. When Compaore got up to go to the bathroom, Haniyev took the opportunity to speak to Sankara and approached him. He whispered, "Please find a chance for us to talk alone. I have something to tell you that concerns your life."

Haniyev's accompanying clerk and translator Peter hurriedly came over and translated it in a low voice.

Sankara fixed his eyes, frowned and looked at Haniyev, then nodded without hesitation.

At this time, Compaore also came back, and Haniyev returned to his seat.

About half an hour later, the banquet ended and Haniyev and his party returned to the hotel.

Haniyev, who was a little drunk, was about to take a shower and drink some Coke. He had just taken off his shirt when he heard a knock on the door.

When Haniyev opened the door, he saw Sankara wearing a sports suit.

"Bonjour!"

Haniyev invited Sankara in, then called the phone in the next room and called Peter over again.

Alone, Sankara asked directly, "Secretary Haniyev, what did you mean by what you said to me today? Please tell me everything you know."

After Haniyev asked Sankara to sit down, he pretended to be mysterious and drew the curtains. He said in a deep voice, "To be honest, I'm here not only to help First Mining negotiate with your country, but also to fulfill an important mission entrusted to me by Secretary Sherbitsky. That's to warn you and save your life!"

"Please tell me. I believe you didn't come all this way to deceive me."

Haniyev coughed lightly and continued, "You should have heard about the power of our Soviet KGB. Our agents have been operating in Europe and the United States for many years and have been able to steal secrets from many developed countries in Europe and the United States.

When I was working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, my mentor, Secretary Shcherbitsky, learned that I had been assigned to the African Department and told me a secret he had learned from a KGB report: France had already formulated a plan to kill you and the socialist cause in Burkina Faso. It included assassination, but the most powerful plan was not to assassinate you, but to destroy the entire Burkina Faso..."

Haniyev's words were true and false, but in order to make Sankara believe him, he could only use Sherbitsky's identity as an excuse. After all, it was impossible for a small director of the African Department to have access to high-level secrets.

After listening to Haniyev's words, Sankara pondered for a long time and asked, "Are you saying that France ordered their ambassador, Alan Deschamps, to sow discord between me and Compaoré, and then forced Compaoré to launch a coup and kill me. Then, they turned Compaoré and his group into new running dogs of imperialism, overturned all my policies, and plunged the people of Burkina Faso back into the hell of being exploited and humiliated by the colonizer and comprador government?"

Haniyev nodded. "Your Excellency the President, you have summarized it very well. That's it."

"I believe what you said about the French conspiracy, but Compaore will never betray me!"

Sankara said, clenching his fists.

"is it?"

Haniyev smiled softly. "How long has it been since you had a heart-to-heart talk with Compaore? Do you know what he thinks? Do you know what your disagreements are? Do you know how to resolve them?"

Sankara trembled his lips and was unable to speak.

However, Haniyev did not intend to let him go and continued to stab him in the heart.

"You may not imagine the power of pillow talk. How often do you and Compaoré exchange heartfelt words? But Compaoré's wife, Chantal, sleeps with him every day. You, Mr. President, should know this woman's background, her attitude towards you, towards socialism, and towards France. Compaoré might not be fooled by Chantal for a few days, but they've been married for two years now. The French side has been nurturing her for seven hundred or eight hundred days, while you're influenced less than once a year. Considering the process by which your disagreements arose, is there a necessary connection?"

Sankara closed his eyes and lay on the sofa, sighing deeply. "Ah, ever since Alan Deschamps arrived, the country has been in turmoil. First, there were leaflets against me, then there were propaganda slogans saying that opposing me was counter-revolutionary, and there were also rumors that I was going to purge the top leaders in the name of counter-revolution. Compaoré and I have argued many times about this. He doesn't believe me, and I don't dare to completely believe him. I directly rejected the coup plan against Compaoré that my senior advisors had drawn up a few days ago. I can't possibly do anything to my old brother.

I had planned to gather all the old brothers together to talk about it tomorrow, the 20th anniversary of Che Guevara's death. Perhaps Compaore would understand my intentions at that time.

As the Che Guevara of Africa, Sankara has always regarded Che Guevara as his revolutionary mentor. Every October 8th he holds a ceremony to commemorate Guevara's spirit.

Haniyev snorted coldly, "Mr. President, are you still deceiving yourself? If Compaoré hadn't changed his mind, would you have lost his trust? You may not know that Compaoré already knew about the plan you rejected. He can't possibly trust you anymore. If a politician decides to betray someone, it's a complete betrayal!"

"Another French trick?

Is Compaore really going to attack me?"

With tears in his eyes, Sankara looked up and asked, "Really? Did the French really impress him?"

Haniyev and Sankara spoke very quickly, making Peter so tired that he didn't even dare to breathe. Fortunately, his translation skills were quite good, allowing Haniyev and Sankara to accurately understand each other's intentions.

Haniyev knew that as an idealist, it would be difficult for Sankara to accept the betrayal of his former good brother, but in order to save Sankara, he could not give him hope anymore, so he did not hesitate to speak more seriously.

"That's right. French Ambassador Alan Deschamps clearly stated in a secret letter to French President Mitterrand that they had persuaded Compaoré to launch a coup on October 8th, killing you and imprisoning, exiling, or even killing your entire family!"

Haniyev could not remember the date when Compaore launched the coup and the subsequent changes, but in order to make Sankara give up his illusions, he could only make the matter sound very serious.

Sankara knew that there was no need for Haniyev to sow discord between him and Compaoré. The Soviet Union was not having a good time either and could only hope for stability in Burkina Faso. Moreover, both publicly and privately, only the French would deal with him, but the Soviets would never do so.

Rubbing his face, Sankara regained his resolute expression. He believed Haniyev's words and said, "Thank you, Haniyev, for your reminder. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have been caught off guard tomorrow, and the French conspiracy would have succeeded. Please also convey my gratitude to Secretary Sherbitsky. When I visit the Soviet Union again in the future, I will thank Secretary Sherbitsky in person."

After hearing Peter's translation, Haniyev asked, "Mr. President, now that you know the plans of Compaore and the French, what do you plan to do?"

Sankara took a deep breath. "Although I can't believe Compaoré would betray me, the revolution, and the people, I also don't dare gamble with the lives of my family and the future of Burkina Faso based on the facts you mentioned. I want to launch a coup in advance, but Compaoré controls the soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Corps and is the commander of the Capital Military Region. My troops in Ouagadougou are far inferior to his. There is only less than a day until the 8th. Time is too short. Taking him down in one fell swoop could cause civil war!"

Haniyev glanced at Peter and coughed lightly, "I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."

Sankara was confused after hearing this. He didn't quite understand Haniyev's tricks.

"Comrade Haniyev, please tell me what you want to say. There are no secrets between us anymore."

"Yes, Mr. President."

Haniyev pointed eastward and said, "You are an internationally renowned Marxist and proletarian revolutionary. You should know something about the Khitan people."

Seeing Sankara nod, Haniyev explained, "Now Compaoré has decided to launch a coup the day after tomorrow. Perhaps he will consider us postponing it, but we can't gamble. We must be prepared for him to launch a coup the day after tomorrow. He is definitely not alone in his attempt. Many other high-ranking officials in Ouagadougou must have defected as well. At this time, you have very few forces to rely on. You must not act rashly, lest the news leaks out and force him to launch a coup beforehand!"

Sankara's eyes gradually cleared up, and he gestured for Haniyev to continue.

Haniyev waited a moment, until Peter's breathing became smoother, before continuing, "I think that no matter which of you launches a military coup now, civil war will break out in the capital, many people will die, and your prestige will plummet rapidly. So I think you can learn from the great Khitan leader Shi Sanyazi. He once launched a shocking movement in Khitan, and many high-ranking officials in the party and the army lost their power and status in an instant, and their lives hung in the hands of others. The dilemma he faced at the time was very similar to yours. Both of you were former comrades who changed their original intentions. The young dragon slayer has become the dragon!"

After Peter translated it, Sankara murmured, repeating Haniyev's words over and over again: "Once the original intention changes, the dragon slayer will eventually become the dragon..."

"You're right, Haniyev. They've changed their minds. Many veterans are now engaging in corruption, bullying men and women, and even taking human lives. This is absolutely intolerable. Compaore even pleaded for leniency for the criminals before, asking me to give them some leniency online for the sake of our old comrades. I didn't want our relationship to deteriorate further, so I reluctantly agreed. Now it seems that, starting with Compaore, many of our former comrades have changed their hearts, from young dragon slayers to evil dragons!"

Haniyev clenched his fists as he looked at Sankara who was becoming more and more excited.

"Mr. President, if you rashly launch a military coup, even if you pay a terrible price and eliminate Compaoré, the people of Burkina Faso will not know that Compaoré is a counter-revolutionary who betrayed the revolution and the people. They will think you are eliminating dissidents. Internationally, capitalist countries like France, Britain, and the United States will have reason to attack you. But what if you follow the example of the great leaders of the East and launch a complete revolution in Burkina Faso?"

Haniyev's words were so passionate that his blood boiled, but Sankara was a little confused. He asked, "I know that the Great Leader launched the Great Revolution in Khitan to address the restoration of capitalism and eliminate corruption, privilege, and bureaucracy within the Party and government. Burkina Faso has also encountered these problems to varying degrees. But I don't know how the Great Leader launched it and how he defeated those counter-revolutionaries, corrupt elements, and capitalist gravekeepers."

Haniyev rubbed his hands and said, "If you want to learn from the great leader to launch a revolution, you must first promote and appoint a group of new people and let these people fight for you.

You must make sure that these people are not compradors, and you must also make sure that they obey you unconditionally and are loyal to the revolution. Then, they will attack the corruption of the counter-revolutionaries. You don't have to do it yourself, but only need to add fuel to the fire at the right time, and then use propaganda to mobilize the masses, and a bottom-up movement will sweep over.

By that time, whether it was Compaore or Galini, they would be caught in the vast sea of ​​the masses. No matter how they planned a coup or whose coup they planned, any mistake would expose their counter-revolutionary nature...."

Haniyev and Sankara talked in detail about his understanding of the great revolution, which was inevitably influenced by his own subjective thoughts. But even so, Sankara felt that everything had suddenly become clear to him, like tasting nectar. He held Haniyev's hand with a solemn expression as if he was willing to die in the evening after hearing the truth in the morning.

"Secretary Haniyev, you are truly an outstanding talent. If possible, I would like to ask you to be my advisor."

Haniyev nodded and said: "Everything is for the revolution, for the cause of socialism. As long as you need me, I am always at your service."

Sankara was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes: "You are truly an outstanding Marxist revolutionary!"