Servant of the People in Kyiv

In addition to spreading rumors that more than 800,000 people were persecuted to death in Burkina Faso during the Great Revolution, Boigny also said that because the Great Revolution affected production and life in Burkina Faso, a famine disaster has occurred in Burkina Faso this year. He predicted that a man-made famine disaster will break out in Burkina Faso before the rainy season next year, and millions of people will starve to death.

The rumors about Bovani are infuriating, but they can only be regarded as child's play. After all, they are too far from the facts, and the truth will come out after a while.

However, what made both Sankara and Haniyev angry was that Boigny criticized socialism, the Soviet Union and the two Soviet experts, Haniyev and Potanin, at the "Africa-Mauritius Joint Organization" conference. He believed that the Soviet Union was exporting revolution to Africa again, aiming to disrupt Africa and subvert countries that had already proven stable and were gradually moving towards prosperity. Just because of the different political systems, the Soviet Union was going to kill everyone, so our African countries must unite to isolate and blockade Burkina Faso and boycott the Soviet Union.

At this conference, Boigny not only proposed that the many French-speaking African countries that joined the French Community in the Africa-Mauritius Joint Organization unite to deal with Burkina Faso, but also proposed that the next step should be to unite those English-speaking African countries that are still in the Commonwealth system to deal with Burkina Faso.

He believes that if all African countries unite to deal with Burkina Faso, even if they do not resort to force, but only rely on economic and diplomatic blockades, Burkina Faso will sooner or later perish.

As for resisting the Soviet Union, of course everyone must remain consistent. Only by resisting the Soviet Union can the Soviet ideology and revolution not appear in the countries of the wise African rulers. Everyone can continue to follow the French and British masters to make money and become dictators in their own country for generations to come.

Chapter 147: Using Religion as a Clutch

In Boigny's words, the Soviet Union and Burkina Faso became monsters, and there were indeed many incompetent dictators and tyrants in the African countries. These people were naturally opposed to socialism, so Boigny's speech jointly organized by Africa and Mauritius was extremely popular and a great success.

The Africa-Mauritius Joint Organization includes almost 80% of the French-speaking countries in Africa. These countries are natural friends and partners because of their linguistic and geographical proximity. As a landlocked country, Burkina Faso is essentially inseparable from dealing with neighboring countries.

However, due to its political system, Burkina Faso under Sankara's leadership has always had a bad relationship with its neighbors. Now Boigny has added fuel to the fire at the Africa-Mauritius joint conference to tarnish Burkina Faso's reputation and image, creating enemies for Sankara out of thin air. How could Sankara not hate Boigny?

For more than 20 years, Bouigny has been highly regarded by successive French presidents and has a very close relationship with France. In addition, he is one of the founders of many African organizations such as the Africa-Mauritius Commonwealth Organization, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Organization of African Unity. Therefore, Bouigny has been well-known in Africa for many years. Under his leadership, Côte d'Ivoire's economy has taken off for decades, with a clear gap with other African countries. Therefore, Bouigny has gradually become a dignified elder and wise saint in Africa, and Côte d'Ivoire is also showing signs of becoming a beacon of Africa.

Such people talking nonsense in front of more than a dozen French-speaking countries in Africa has a huge and very bad influence.

Burkina Faso, with its weak industrial base and much work to do, has solved its food problem, but has been short of goods. If Burkina Faso is isolated by African countries, the situation of this landlocked country will continue to deteriorate, with its abundant agricultural products unable to be sold and the necessary goods unable to be shipped in.

Based on personal likes and dislikes and private conflicts, Sankara hated Bhovani and wanted to teach this old villain a lesson, while Bhovani hated Sankara and wanted him dead.

From the perspective of national interests, Boigny does not want his neighbors to be socialist countries. He is worried that socialist ideas and waves will enter Côte d'Ivoire. Because Côte d'Ivoire needs a large amount of cheap labor to develop agriculture and basic industries, it also needs its surrounding neighbors to be poor or even in war. Therefore, Boigny does not want Burkina Faso to develop and threaten its own status.

Sankara did not want Bhowani to lead many African countries to deal with him, so he wanted to find a way to create trouble for Bhowani so that he would have no time to worry about himself. Of course, it would be even better if he could overthrow his regime.

Now Bhowani and Sankara have become opponents and their conflict has become public.

Boigny's public speech at the Africa-Mauritius Joint Organization Conference was aimed at Sankara. Sankara's current focus is on improving people's livelihood and seeking development. Burkina Faso does not have the strength to start a war, let alone a war against Côte d'Ivoire, so he could only consult Soviet advisers after he could not think of a way to fight back.

After all, in Sankara's eyes, Haniyev and Potanin are both well-informed senior officials of major countries and top students with revolutionary wisdom. They may be able to provide more ideas and thoughts on things that he cannot think of.

After listening to Sankara's detailed explanation, Haniyev and Potanin also understood Bovani's anti-communist and anti-socialist madness. Not only for Sankara and Burkina Faso, the two felt that in order to prevent the Soviet Union and socialism from being insulted and looked down upon by Bovani, they should give an appropriate counterattack.

The two men discussed in Russian for a moment, and Potanin asked, "Comrade Sankara, the only non-war solutions to conflicts between countries are support for the opposition, blockades through public opinion and diplomacy, and economic sanctions. Which method do you think is suitable for Burkina Faso to use against Côte d'Ivoire?"

After hearing his translator speak in French, Sankara shook his head slightly. "Côte d'Ivoire is much richer than Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso's GDP is only $24 billion, while Côte d'Ivoire's is over $100 billion. Côte d'Ivoire also has two million more people than us. I've already calculated that Burkina Faso's only military is stronger than Côte d'Ivoire's. But there's no way I'd start a war. And we're nowhere near as good as Côte d'Ivoire in terms of diplomatic relations..."

Potanin looked at Haniyev, who paused for a moment before saying, "It's difficult to deal with Côte d'Ivoire using conventional means, but I remember Comrade Sankara saying before that there are many Burkinabe immigrants in Côte d'Ivoire. How many are there?"

Sankara nodded and said, "They're all Burkina Faso refugees fleeing famine. They started coming here twenty years ago, working as tenant farmers for the landowners in Côte d'Ivoire. The income isn't high, but they're not starving. Over the years, there must be over a million people who have immigrated here."

"Do any of these one million migrants have relatives in Burkina Faso? Do many of them come back to visit?"

"There are some."

“Apart from Burkinabés, are there any other immigrants from other countries who are now Ivorians? How many of them are there?”

"We have immigrants from six or seven other countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Ghana, and Benin. According to data from the Ivorian Immigration Department, the foreign population now exceeds 40%, or four million. These people are very well behaved in Ivory Coast. Seven years ago, Ivory Coast gave immigrants equal status with its citizens, and they even have the right to vote. So these immigrants are now basically considered Ivorians."

Sankara guessed what Haniyev meant. It seemed that he wanted to make a fuss about immigrants, but Bovani was a cunning guy and had already made clear arrangements for the vast majority of immigrants.

Haniyev pondered for a moment and continued, "These people all speak French and are generally satisfied with life in Côte d'Ivoire. However, their cultures and nationalities are different, and we'll always find points of conflict if we look for them. Comrade Sankara, do these immigrants share the same beliefs as the indigenous people of Côte d'Ivoire?"

"It's not the same."

Sankara shook his head slightly and said, "Because it was once the Ivory Coast, Côte d'Ivoire was once France's most important colony. When Côte d'Ivoire first gained independence, it had a population of about three million, almost all of whom were Catholics. However, the immigrants from Burkina Faso were mainly of primitive religions, with some also believing in Islam and Catholicism.

Mali, Niger, and Guinea are dominated by Islam, while Ghana and Benin have more indigenous religions and Christians. Therefore, the majority of new immigrants in Côte d'Ivoire are Muslims, and the rest are believers of original religions and Christians, with Catholics making up the smallest proportion..."

Sankara paused and grinned, "Comrade Advisor, are you suggesting we make a fuss about the Ivory Coast's complex religious landscape?"

Haniyev chuckled and nodded, saying, "That's right. Differences in religious beliefs have always been the root of conflict and separation. When British India gained independence, it split into two countries due to differences in faith. India and Pakistan, one is primarily Hindu, while the other has Islam as its state religion. Over the years, the two countries have fought many wars, claiming they were over territorial disputes, but in reality, they were all due to religious hatred."

Potanin lit a cigarette and handed one to Haniyev. After blowing a puff of smoke, he said, "The Crusades killed countless Muslims throughout history. Religious hatred was a major driving force behind the development of history. There will definitely be some conflicts between the new immigrants and the old residents in Côte d'Ivoire, coupled with differences in religious beliefs and living habits. Currently, it is Boigny's superb political skills and Côte d'Ivoire's relatively affluent lifestyle compared to its neighbors that have enabled this country's more than 10 million people to maintain a delicate harmony. If only an outside force intervened, their conflicts would degenerate into civil unrest or even hatred."

"Using religion as a lever is the only way to break through the Ivorian stronghold!"

Sankara rubbed his chin and asked, "You mean we stir up religious conflict within Côte d'Ivoire and cause civil unrest. That way, Boigny will be forced to focus on stabilizing the domestic situation and won't have the time or energy to deal with me, right?"

Haniyev and Potanin nodded. Sankara coughed lightly and asked, "Isn't this too inhumane and ungentlemanly?"

Potanin sneered, "When dealing with gentlemen, you must behave like a gentleman. When dealing with villains, you can only use villain tactics, otherwise you will suffer a great loss."

Haniyev knew that Sankara was capable of launching a military coup and a revolution, and was by no means a soft-hearted person. He asked, "You're worried that if unrest breaks out in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso immigrants will be affected, right?"

Sankara nodded slightly. "These millions of Burkinabés migrated there out of betrayal. It's Upper Volta who wronged his people. Now if Côte d'Ivoire becomes chaotic, they'll have just lived a peaceful life for a dozen or twenty years and then... well... I don't want to ruin the happy lives of my compatriots with my own hands..."

"On one side are one million compatriots, and on the other side are eight million compatriots. Which is more important?"

Sankara's eyes gradually became firm. "You two comrades are right. I shouldn't overthink it. If Côte d'Ivoire becomes chaotic because of religious disputes, I can always bring back a million of my compatriots. After all, the revolution in Burkina Faso will soon be over. By then, we will need people to cultivate wasteland, build water conservancy projects, and build bridges and roads. More people means more productivity..."

"Comrade Potanin, Comrade Haniyev, how can we stir up religious conflict in Côte d'Ivoire?"

"Don't be impatient. We haven't come across this kind of thing before. We need to discuss it."

Sankara finally made up his mind, and Haniyev and Potanin continued to communicate and discuss according to their respective understandings, and gradually came up with a feasible plan based on the previous methods used by Britain to dig holes for independent colonial countries.

Chapter 148 Take action

Picking up the coffee cup and taking a sip, Haniyev tasted the aroma of high-quality coffee beans.

Seeing that Haniyev liked it very much, Sankara said, "This is freshly ground coffee from the best coffee beans from Côte d'Ivoire that I found at Compaoré's house. I thought the Presidential Palace would ask you to receive guests from all over the world, so it shouldn't be too shabby. So I brought all the fine cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee that I found at Compaoré, Lingani, and Zongo's homes to the Presidential Palace."

Nodding with a smile, Haniyev cleared his throat and said, "Boigny is indeed a head of state with outstanding capabilities. Under his governance, the small country of Côte d'Ivoire is thriving. Its economy, population, and international influence are growing day by day. The domestic political situation is also very problematic, and it seems that there are no loopholes. Compared to most African countries, he can indeed fully control Côte d'Ivoire.

However, over the past two decades, Côte d'Ivoire has accepted a large number of disaster victims and war refugees from neighboring countries in pursuit of development. This influx of cheap labor has greatly boosted Côte d'Ivoire's productivity, driving rapid economic growth. However, over time, the immigrant population, primarily Muslims, has outnumbered the number of native Catholics. This identity and religious issue is a major hidden danger for Côte d'Ivoire, a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, shattering Côte d'Ivoire's current prosperity and stability.

Sankara recalled a similar situation in Africa and said, "The Sudan is like this. The ten southern states are mostly inhabited by pagans, while the north is dominated by Muslims. Since Sudan's independence, they have experienced two civil wars over religious issues. Muslims in Côte d'Ivoire are concentrated in the poorest north, while Catholics are concentrated in the southern coastal areas. The differences in religious identity and living areas have actually caused divisions in Côte d'Ivoire. Even if it doesn't develop into a civil war, it will be enough to cause headaches for Bovani for a while!"

Potanin chuckled: "That's right, we need to exploit the Ivory Coast's weaknesses and strike directly at its vital points."

“But what are the specific steps?”

“This is actually easy to do.”

Haniyev's nose felt a little itchy, so he scratched it twice and said, "Select a group of capable young cadres from China who have been tempered by the Great Revolution and are loyal to the country and the revolution. Send them to Côte d'Ivoire and let them first integrate with the Burkina Faso immigrants, and then slowly establish connections with other immigrants.

Because of religious, cultural and ethnic differences, there is a natural barrier between the millions of Muslims in Côte d'Ivoire and the Catholics and Christians. Cases of theft, robbery and even murder are common in African countries.

Whenever conflicts or crimes arise, we can have these infiltrated new immigrants link all individual crimes to religion, ethnicity, and immigration status, escalating the problem and muddying the waters, turning the original personal conflicts and hatreds into conflicts between religion, ethnicity, and new and old residents. If we do this a few times, we'll definitely get incredible results."

Potanin laughed heartily. "People are always driven by collective consciousness. As long as we intentionally guide them, the people of the two religions, who already have a conflicting relationship, will consciously become hostile to each other. If we even slightly add fuel to the flames, it will be a precursor to the division of Côte d'Ivoire and civil war."

Sankara rubbed his right hand and said, "I knew you two would be able to help me come up with a good idea. I used to think that Côte d'Ivoire was stable, Boigny was well-known, and it had French protection. There wasn't even any opposition in the country, so it was completely invulnerable. But after your analysis today, I realized that Côte d'Ivoire actually contains a huge powder keg. We just need to stir up the spark."

"Both Burkina Faso and I cannot live without you two. If you really go back to the Soviet Union, I will definitely not be able to eat or sleep well..."

Sankara spoke emotionally, then shook his head: "No more, thank you very much. I am really sorry to bother you again when you are about to return home."

"There's no need to be polite, revolutionary comrades. We are friends for life."

Haniyev leaned forward with his hands on the table and said with a firm look in his eyes.

Sankara's eyes flickered and he nodded.

The economic pillar of Côte d'Ivoire is agriculture. Among them, several major cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, pineapples, cashews, and cotton contribute nearly 50% of Côte d'Ivoire's GDP and earn a large amount of foreign exchange. You must know that there are more than 200 countries in the world, and Côte d'Ivoire is not ranked among the countries in the world. However, with the vigorous development of Boigny, the small Côte d'Ivoire has become the largest producer and exporter of cocoa, the third largest producer and exporter of coffee, and the export volume of palm oil, pineapples and cotton is also among the highest in the world.

Getting rich through agriculture is the dream of countless backward countries. Côte d'Ivoire can almost be said to be in the first row among third world countries. However, the wealth earned from countless agricultural products in the international market has mostly gone into the private pocket of "African Saint Boigny", and more than six million farmers are still struggling to make ends meet.

In such a backward agricultural country that has no chance of agricultural modernization, the three major consumables: population, livestock and simple agricultural tools are the eternal themes. Based on the principle that the more people there are, the higher the productivity, Côte d'Ivoire's policy for many years has been to continuously absorb foreign population to develop agriculture.

With the support of this policy, it is very convenient for refugees and disaster victims from various countries to enter Côte d'Ivoire. Even without this policy and the African regional mechanism, it would not be difficult for Burkina Faso to infiltrate Côte d'Ivoire.

On November 18, 1987, the day after Haniyev and Sankara agreed on the plan to use religion as a lever to deal with Bovani, more than 11 grassroots cadres of the Revolutionary Defense Committee who were selected on a whim left Ouagadougou after receiving personal training and talks from President Sankara, and were taken to the border of the Southwest Region by trucks of the Capital Legion.

The Southwest Region borders Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and is heavily guarded by all three countries. However, the southern border of the Southwest Region becomes less guarded as one moves westward. Over the years, many starving people in Burkina Faso have fled from here to Côte d'Ivoire in the south.

Having just returned from the Central African Republic to the empty presidential palace in Yamoussoukro, the new capital of Côte d'Ivoire, after attending the Africa-Mauritius Joint Organization Conference, Boigny is enjoying a head massage in the arms of his young and beautiful wife.

This anti-socialist and anti-supply capitalist fighter who has been active in Africa for decades and has never been defeated does not yet know that a counterattack from Ouagadougou is about to come.

Chapter 149: People and the Country, the Future is Uncertain

In the days that followed, Sankara did not bother Haniyev and Potanin, but only sent a few boxes of grain and millet-brewed wine.

Haniyev and Potanin lived peacefully in the embassy. Apart from drinking, they kept in touch with the First Mining Company every day, helping it coordinate resources with the relevant departments of Burkina Faso and asking the local government to help build the initial infrastructure of the gold mine.

Potanin is even busier because he has to ask his family to raise funds, buy equipment, etc.

The gold mining project has been finalized. The sooner it is started, the sooner the profits can be seen, so Haniyev and Potanin are a little anxious.

Soon the new ambassador arrived. After hosting a welcoming banquet, Eugene took the new ambassador to visit President Sankara and other ministers. As the world's first-class superpower, and as brothers in the socialist camp, the Soviet ambassador had a very special status.

On November 24, Sankara held a ball at the Presidential Palace and invited all Soviet people to attend. This was both to give face to the Soviet Union and to see off Haniyev, Potanin, Ivan, Peter, Eugene and others who were about to leave Burkina Faso.

On the evening of the 25th, Haniyev, Potanin and a group of 12 people boarded a plane back to Moscow.

This is a special plane. On board are some ivory crafts, leopard specimens, and lion specimens prepared by Sankara for Gorbachev as state gifts. They are sacred and solemn and must be used exclusively for this plane.

Haniyev, Potanin, Ivan and Peter also received many Burkina Faso specialties prepared by Burkina Faso for everyone, and the entire plane was packed.

The return flight took a different route. After two stops for refueling in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Baku, Azerbaijan, the third leg went directly to Moscow.

It was snowing lightly in Moscow when the plane landed. It was the afternoon of November 27, 1987, and the second wave of cold wind and snow in early winter had arrived in Moscow.

Leaders and staff from four or five departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the KGB, were waiting in front of the aircraft aisle.

After Haniyev and his entourage got off the plane one after another, the KGB's special car picked them up, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs waited to move the state gifts of Burkina Faso and the personal gifts of Haniyev and others down for inspection and disinfection.

Ten vehicles from the KGB and four units, namely the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade, left the airport and went directly to the Capital Army Hospital. According to normal procedures, all personnel returning from Africa, where infectious diseases are rampant, must undergo physical examinations and observation as soon as possible to prevent infection by carrying the virus.

Because personnel from three departments, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and the KGB, were involved in the inspection, and the Ministry of Health also needed cooperation, after Haniyev and his party were admitted to the hospital, liaison officers were left behind by the three departments, and the KGB even sent people to guard them.

The test results came out the next day, and all twelve people were healthy and had no infectious diseases.

Two directors from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade came to talk to Haniyev and Potanin, and then the KGB agent took the twelve people back to No. 11 Lubyanka Square, the building of the Soviet State Security Committee.

Both Haniyev and Potanin had been cleared of all charges of betraying the Party and the Soviet Union, and had become promoters of friendly relations between the Soviet Union and Burkina Faso. Moreover, they both had connections, Haniyev had a huge reputation, and the staff of the Soviet State Security Committee were very polite to both of them.

Since Haniyev and others were involved in diplomatic affairs, the investigation into them was assigned to the Second General Directorate. The director of the Second General Directorate even came out to meet with Haniyev and Potanin and spoke to them for a few words.

After about two hours, the routine conversation ended. Seven KGB agents stayed to work, while Haniyev, Potanin, Ivan, and Peter were politely escorted out of No. 11 Lubyanka Square by the staff of the Second Bureau.

Lubyanka Square is right next to the Kremlin. It was already noon. Haniyev looked at the magnificent Kremlin in the distance, knowing that Gorbachev was most likely inside. He stared sharply at this historic and magnificent palace, thinking to himself: I wonder if I will ever have the chance to enter this palace...

Potanin rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm starving, Victor. Let's go find a restaurant and have a good meal."

Just as Haniyev was about to agree, he suddenly saw Eugene pointing at a car not far away. He looked closely and saw that the person in the lowered car window was the director of the African Department, Kuzhugaitsky.

"I can't eat. Our leader is here to pick me up. I guess I need to go back to the department and report to him again."

Potanin snorted coldly: "Old men are always troublesome."

He muttered as he saw the car from the Foreign Trade Department coming to pick him up not far away. He could only make an appointment with Haniyev and Eugene to have a drink together in a few days, and then went to take the car first.

Eugene turned and said, "Victor Vladimirevich, let's go get in the car quickly and don't keep the leaders waiting anxiously."

An hour later, Haniyev and his four companions met with Minister Shevardnadze.

Shevardnadze smiled and shook hands with the four people warmly and asked about their health. After the simple greetings, Eugene, Peter and Ivan each left, leaving Shevardnadze, Haniyev and Kurugetsky as the only three people left in the office.

Shevardnadze snorted coldly and sat down at his large desk. He squinted at Haniyev and asked, "You've done a great job in Burkina Faso and even mobilized me and the General Secretary. Haniyev, you're so bold!"

Kurugetsky snorted coldly and glanced at Haniyev.

Haniyev chuckled, stepped forward, and said, "We're all socialist countries. I can't bear to see Sankara's regime overthrown. Besides, we were with Sankara at the time. If Compaore and his coup really succeeded, we would be in great danger of losing our lives. I don't mind dying, but I can't let our Soviet Union be embarrassed. So after careful consideration, I can only help Sankara..."

"You don't need to explain. The General Secretary isn't going to pursue you anymore, and I certainly won't pursue you either. But I still think you're too bold. I don't think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can keep someone as important as you. You should go back to Ukraine."

Shevardnadze waved his hands in annoyance, but Haniyev, no stranger to worldly affairs, was not intimidated. He leaned over and said with a smile, "If you're mad at me, punish me. I'll be obedient in the future."

Shevardnadze pointed in the direction of the Kremlin and said, "Stop smiling like that. I'm telling you, the General Secretary won't punish you. But you've indeed gone too far in your own way. The General Secretary is very dissatisfied. We don't know when we'll discuss your case. Even then, there's no need to punish you. I'll just transfer you to the Chukotka Autonomous Region, the coldest place in the Far East, to serve as an official for twenty years. You won't even have a place to cry!"

Haniyev was startled and asked, "Is what you said true?"

"What do you think?"

Shevardnadze snorted coldly, "Now that you're back, you should stop trying to show off. Stay in your office and don't cause any trouble. I'll protect you in front of the General Secretary. If things go smoothly for two or three months, the General Secretary might forget about you. Then you and Potanin will be truly safe. Do you understand?"

Hanyev knew that as a department-level cadre within the Soviet system, although he was now nominally innocent, General Secretary Gorbachev was a petty person. If he really held a grudge, he would probably follow Shevardnadze's suggestion and send him to an official position in a Far Eastern state. By then, even Sherbitsky would be unable to stop him.

In this way, Haniyev would miss three or four years of good time and would have to wait until the collapse of the Soviet Union to return to Ukraine. By then, it would be difficult for him to become the leader of Ukraine's independence.

Blocking someone's financial path is like killing their parents. Haniyev's political ambition is far more important than money. He must not leave the political center in these most critical years, so Haniyev is really scared now. He nodded repeatedly with some nervousness.

"I am at your service, Minister."