Guinea is one of the least developed countries in the world. As a small West African country, it has a population of less than 10 million people, of which nearly two million people live in the capital city of Conakry.
Roughly speaking, the urban population accounts for a very high proportion of the total population, reaching 44.5%. A high urbanization rate is a representative indicator of an industrialized economy, and it should be a country with a pretty good economy.
However, urbanization in poor countries in West Africa is completely different from that in other parts of the world.
The city of Conakry is composed of two completely different worlds, one poor and one rich. The core area of the city is densely covered with reinforced concrete buildings. It is equivalent in size to a third-tier city in China. It is home to about one-fifth of the city's population and belongs to the wealthy class.
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National administrative agencies, parliament buildings, hotels and foreign embassies and consulates in Guinea are all located in the core area, as well as institutions related to large foreign companies such as Rio Tinto and Vale, the University of Conakry, hospitals, etc., with almost all important functions.
They all gather here.
Surrounding the core area of the city, apart from scattered two- and three-story buildings, there are endless slums that can't be seen at a glance.
There are sewage flowing across the area, no sewers, no qualified drinking water, no normal power supply and communication facilities, and no one cares about it. It is a completely barbaric growth state.
Relying on doing odd jobs in the city, picking up rags, petty theft or begging or even robbing and committing crimes, they are not so much urban residents as they are parasitic deformities outside the city, merging and symbiotic.
In the core area of the city
The office of the British Red River Resources Company in Guinea is a 12-story reinforced concrete building - the Red River Building, which is owned by the Standard Bank of South Africa and is one of the few high-rise buildings in the core area of the city.
Top floor, 12th floor, Honghe Building
Yang Shouhong (Staff Officer), Office Director Mark Wahlberg and others stood in front of the large windows, overlooking the noisy crowds of protest demonstrations on the city streets, spreading along the wide central streets of the city towards the Presidential Palace.
Standing here, you can clearly see armored vehicles and a large number of soldiers in the distance in the direction of the Presidential Palace. The police are standing by and have drawn up cordons on the streets to prevent the demonstrators from advancing.
Today, the city of Conakry is like a dynamite barrel. The surging public anger can explode at any time, drowning all corruption and the useless bureaucracy.
The democratic system is seriously acclimated to the backward African continent. Corruption and chaos are chronic diseases that are difficult to cure. The newly came to power through various means quickly lost and degenerated in the face of power and wealth, turning into the kind of people they once hated.
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The poor and backward African continent, especially the small and turbulent countries, always fall into this vicious circle again and again.
Mark Wahlberg said with a smile on his face; "Yesterday, Stuart Townsend from Rio Tinto called me and angrily accused us of violating the rules of the game and going down the wrong road.
He answered him on the phone: 'Mind your own business, fool! Think about how to give an explanation to the Rio Tinto board of directors? Think about how to give an explanation to the international community', haha... you know what he said?"
"How to say?"
"Stewart Townsend said; he knows the Simandou Iron Ore Project very well and has been here for more than three years. If possible, he would like to find a position with the Red River Company."
"Oh...how did you answer?"
Mark Wahlberg shrugged helplessly and said, "I clearly rejected him and told him, well... Mr. Stewart Townsend, your reputation is now stinking. If you don't want to go to jail,
It's best to find a good lawyer first and get out of this huge trouble."
Yang Shouhong laughed after hearing this. He has been with the chairman for 16 years and is now 45 years old. He is no longer the straight man who only knows military training. He knows a lot about the inside stories of multinational companies.
As for Rio Tinto's bribery in Guinea, it would be fine if this kind of private business was not exposed. Once it is exposed, it will be a big trouble.
Neither Guinea nor the African Union can sanction Rio Tinto, but in mature business societies such as the United States and Europe, it is suspected of unfair competition, and the nature is quite bad. It will definitely be picked up by the pigtails and beaten hard. It is almost a certainty.
Son.
Yang Shouhong looked at the surging crowd of demonstrators. The local Guinean military and police pointed their guns at the demonstrators, but they still could not suppress the excitement of the demonstrators. Loud slogans came one after another.
Suddenly, he heard two crisp gunshots. The irritated Yang Shouhong's eyes narrowed slightly, and he reacted with vigilance in his heart;
This is a big mistake!
Sure enough, after an unknown person fired two shots, the local military and police immediately reacted violently. "Crackling" gunfire continued, and the demonstrators screamed, falling into a more serious riot.
"Oh, my God, this...this idiot military police actually dared to shoot?" Mark Wahlberg held his head in amazement, with an incredible look in his eyes, and shouted; "They are so perverse.
With their evil deeds, I am afraid that the African Union will not be able to protect them. They are truly digging their own graves!"
"Yes, with dictatorship, corruption and suppression of the people, other African countries must draw a clear line with it to avoid being dragged down."
"The democratic voices in the international community will never allow this situation to continue."
"Haha, the dictatorship of Guinea is over."
The people at the window were talking with a sense of superiority and superiority. Yang Shouhong (Staff Officer) looked serious and said to Mark Wahlberg;
"The local situation in Guinea has seriously deteriorated, and the possibility of large-scale riots cannot be ruled out. We must respond quickly to this, and the office must strengthen security measures. I will return to Base No. 1 now and mobilize some manpower and several armored vehicles.
Come and block the intersection to protect the safety of foreigners in this area and prevent innocent people from being affected."
"Please rest assured that the office will launch Plan C to prevent the riots from spreading here."
"In the face of this sudden social unrest, our Owl Company will vigorously assist Honghe Resources Company in implementing relevant rescue and disaster relief plans. This is also a key battle to build the reputation of Honghe Resources Company. I hope that you and I will work closely together to
Don’t let the higher ups disappoint you.”
Mark Wahlberg immediately understood what Yang Shouhong meant, and he said with a serious look; "President Yang, please rest assured that the office has made full preparations for this, and the warehouse is full of the goods just now
The arrival of the supplies requires the cooperation of mercenaries from Owl Company to distribute these supplies. We will initiate corresponding measures as soon as possible and never let social unrest turn into a humanitarian disaster."
"Okay, let's take action!"
The two of them smiled at each other in tacit understanding, turned around and led their respective people away. The work on Guinea started to move like precision gears.
As for the consortium, it will never interfere in the regime change in Guinea, nor will it leave any reason for criticism.
Using Owl Company's powerful military presence as a deterrent to prevent the authoritarian government from going too far and making others angry, and at the same time, responding to social unrest and providing relief to victims are all things a socially responsible group can do.
Owl Company has a large base on the outskirts of Conakry, and a batch of tanks and armored vehicles have recently arrived by sea. This is a military force that is not inferior to the local government.
When the social situation is turbulent, mercenaries enter neighborhoods densely populated by foreign expatriates to protect lives and property, which is no less than a serious warning to the local authoritarian government.
The black uncles in Africa have never had the habit of saving. If they are drunk now, they will spend the money they have like a dog licking it clean. The same is true for even slightly affluent city residents.
As for families in poverty-stricken areas, it is even more difficult to get enough to eat.
What to do if you have no money, no food, no water?
Then just be hungry.
Once social unrest occurs and there is no normal source of income, it can easily trigger a large-scale humanitarian disaster.
Red River Resources Company's social assistance and disaster relief are formulated based on this. Fortunately, the black uncles never think there is anything wrong with asking for things from others, and goodwill comes and goes quickly.
As long as there are free food and other things to receive, the goodwill will be great. Once you can't receive it after a while, the goodwill will quickly fade.
In this small West African country with a backward economy and a poor society, some powerful companies can do more than other governments and have greater potential influence. As long as they do not really interfere in areas that they should not interfere in, protecting the safety of expatriates is widely accepted.
Owl Company is the most powerful mercenary company in Guinea. The turbulent social situation will bring a large number of employment opportunities. Not only local multinational companies and wealthy people, but also some foreign embassies and consulates will have strong demand.
Compared with the weak local military and police force, professional mercenaries are more trustworthy.
Yang Shouhong was riding in a convoy of three Humvees. The brave mercenaries were sitting in the vehicles, fully armed, holding assault rifles loaded with bullets in their hands, wearing sunglasses and looking tough, struggling on the crowded streets.
Move forward.
It can be seen that the emotions of the demonstrators on the street have been out of control. Some people are crying bitterly, some are waving long knives in anger, and some people are working hard to incite the emotions of the demonstrators. It is a complete chaos.
A group of young men overturned the car and set it on fire, sending blazing black smoke into the sky.
More thugs poured into the shops on the roadside and began to smash and loot, venting their violent emotions. Some thugs armed with iron bars smashed the window glass and smashed the cars on the roadside. The situation in the city was close to getting out of control.
Alarms, curses, cries, the sound of broken objects came together, and occasionally a few crisp gunshots were heard, everything was in chaos.
The Humvee convoy passed through the chaotic crowd on the street, and the eyes projected on it were greed, anger and fear, a mixture of various complex emotions.
The experienced mercenaries didn't care about these looks mixed with fear, chewing gum in their mouths leisurely, and pointed the black muzzles of their guns out vigilantly, like wild beasts that were ready to attack.
Mercenaries are a life-threatening profession. In terms of danger, they are the most dangerous group of people in Africa.
To put it bluntly, not to mention these rioting black uncle crowds, even the fully armed government troops, Zhan Wusheng's strength is not enough in front of the mercenaries.