Chapter 977 Coup

In the lobby of the main house of Chatsworth Manor, the newly cut and transported Christmas tree has been erected.

Children, big and small, will inevitably focus their eyes on the gifts hanging on the decorated and shining Christmas tree when they pass by here.

It has just snowed. Looking out from the upstairs of Chatsworth Manor, all you can see is the beautiful scenery covered in silver.

In sharp contrast, the flames in the fireplace in the study make the room warm as spring.

"Sophia, have the ingredients for today been delivered?"

"Yes, Mr. Butler, the farm has specially killed a whole sheep. The Chinese chef said that he will cook a roasted whole sheep, and some vegetables and fruits, all fresh..."

Since the Barron family came to Chatsworth Manor, Ramos, who was once his personal manservant and is now the butler of the manor, is in a very good mood. As a result, he also directs the servants of the manor to do all the internal and external affairs to perfection.

"The children are playing in the snow in the garden. Remember to prepare hot tea so that they don't catch a cold."

"We have prepared it, Mr. Butler..."

...

At the same time, thousands of miles away in West Africa, the "country of gentlemen" Burkina Faso, there is no such peaceful and tranquil atmosphere as Chatsworth Manor.

On December 24, Traoré, the chief of staff of the Burkina Faso armed forces, launched a coup, imprisoned its president Compaoré, announced the dissolution of parliament, and formed an interim government with Traoré as the president of the interim government.

After the coup, after Traoré took control of the situation in the capital Ouagadougou, he went to the TV station to give a speech to the whole country.

Traoré claimed that the current president Compaoré implemented a dictatorship in Burkina Faso and sold out the interests of the country, causing serious domestic corruption, soaring prices, and most of the people were in extreme poverty.

Now is the time for change. He will implement reforms in Burkina Faso, hand over power at the appropriate time, and hold elections within a year. At the same time, Traore announced that the capital Ouagadougou will impose a curfew from that day.

It can be said that the coup in Burkina Faso happened quite suddenly, including the Kolo side, who only learned about it after the coup.

After this incident, the spokesperson of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a press conference that France is paying close attention to the coup in Burkina Faso and called on all parties in Burkina Faso to exercise restraint and restore the situation to calm as soon as possible.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also issued a statement through a spokesperson on the same day, expressing deep concern about the situation in Burkina Faso and calling on all parties in Burkina Faso to end violence, maintain calm and restraint, and resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue. He has asked his special representative for West Africa, Chambas, to go to Burkina Faso on the 25th, and welcomed representatives of organizations such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to go there.

The spokesperson of the United States said that the United States is concerned about the situation in Burkina Faso and calls on all parties concerned to avoid violent conflicts.

After communicating with other leaders of the West African Free Trade Zone by phone, President Kollo issued a joint statement of the West African Free Trade Zone through a spokesperson, expressing his willingness to help Burkina Faso's smooth transition of power, respecting the Burkina Faso people's choice of their own development path, and hoping that Burkina Faso will resume the democratic process as soon as possible.

In fact, on the same day, President Kollo Thomas Kaboré had a phone call with Traoré, the initiator of the Burkina Faso coup. The two sides confirmed the continuity of cooperation between Burkina Faso, Kollo and the West African Free Trade Zone countries, and Traoré also invited Kollo to send representatives to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, to witness the formation of a transitional government in Burkina Faso and the smooth transition of power.

…

“For us, the coup in Burkina Faso is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is conducive to strengthening cooperation with Burkina Faso…”

In the study of Chatsworth Manor, Nigel Inkster said to Barron:

“Through our background investigation on Traore and the communication with him, we have confirmed that he is very much in favor of Burkina Faso’s position in the West African Free Trade Zone. At the same time, Traore also hopes to strengthen cooperation with West African countries to jointly fight against France’s economic colonization of West Africa. He also said that he welcomes our investment in Burkina Faso…”

In fact, in the West African Free Trade Zone led by Kolo, although Burkina Faso participated in many projects, its attitude was somewhat subtle before that.

The main reason is the style of former Burkina Faso President Compaoré. He is very close to France. Although Compaoré is always happy to play the role of "mediator" in the African political arena, he is still using various methods to maintain his rule over the country in Burkina Faso...

Although Burkina Faso has joined the West African Free Trade Area, it is more based on economic interests. At the same time, Compaoré still retains cooperation with the French and the Economic Community of West African States, which is considered to be a relatively wavering attitude.

Compaoré came to power after launching a coup in 1987 and overthrew the former president of Burkina Faso. He has been in power in Burkina Faso for more than 26 years.

People who know a little about Burkina Faso probably know that the former president overthrown by Compaoré is Thomas Sankara, the "heaven-fallen tough guy" of Burkina Faso.

Compaoré was once a close friend of Sankara. On August 4, 1983, Sankara and Compaoré launched a coup and overthrew the then Ouedraogo government.

In fact, when the coup took place, Sankara, who was very prestigious in the military and united many progressive young soldiers, had been arrested and imprisoned by the Ouedraogo government at the request of France.

Compaoré led young officers to launch a coup and rescued Sankara from prison. From then on, Sankara became the head of state, and Compaoré became the second-in-command of the new regime.

The name of Burkina Faso was also chosen by Sankara. "Burkina" means "gentleman" in the local Mossi language, and "Faso" means "country" in the Bambara language - Burkina Faso means "country of gentlemen".

Sankara interpreted the word "gentleman" throughout his life. He lived a simple life and led Burkina Faso to expel French forces and build the country.

But in the end, he was defeated by human nature - Compaoré made him successful, and Compaoré also made him fail.

His close friend Compaoré eventually betrayed him and the revolution - in 1987, Compaoré launched a coup, and Sankara, who was attending a meeting in simple sportswear, was shot dead by the coup plotters, with several bullets in his body.