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#617 | Bob Denard: The Mercenary Who Ruled the Comoros (English Listening Practice)
Description
In 1975, a French mercenary landed in the Comoros, a chain of small islands off East Africa, and decided he was going to run the place.
Bob Denard staged four coups, converted to Islam, built a farm, and controlled the country from the shadows for over a decade.
It was a story of Cold War deals, shifting loyalties, and one last coup that ended his run.
- Location and poverty of the Comoros Islands
- French rule and 1975 independence under Ahmed Abdallah
- First coup by French mercenary Robert Denard
- Denard's mercenary past and French Africa links
- Ali Soilih's radical rule and the Moissy youth militia
- 1978 coup restores Abdallah and Soilih killed
- Denard becomes Comorian farmer and leads Presidential Guard
- 1989 power struggle and suspicious death of Ahmed Abdallah
- 1995 final coup and French Operation Azalee intervention
- Denard's trial and death in 2007
Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/bob-denard
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Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية