#617 | Bob Denard: The Mercenary Who Ruled the Comoros (English Listening Practice)

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: leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/bob-denard

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