Bodyguard: Ambush (Book 3) Read Online Free

Africa will
beat
again!’ exclaimed Michel Feruzi. The Burundian Minister for Trade and Tourism
     thumped the well-worn wooden conference table with a fleshy fist, the glasses of iced
     water tinkling from his overzealous blow.
    ‘I agree,’ chimed Uzair Mossi,
     the eyes of the Finance Minister sparkling like the very diamonds they were talking
     about. ‘Too long has Burundi been the poor man of this rich continent. If the
     rumours are true, then this is a turning point for our nation, a –’
    President Bagaza held up his hand for
     silence and waited for his ministers to curb their premature celebrations. He did not
     share their enthusiasm at the news.
    ‘Angola. Sierra Leone. Liberia. The
     Congo,’ he stated in his low solemn tone. ‘Do their tragic histories not
     mean anything to you?’ He let the ghosts of each country’s brutal civil war,
     fuelled by blood diamonds, settle in the minds of his ministers before continuing.
     ‘The reported discovery of a diamond field is a reason to both rejoice and
     despair. After a generation of tribal conflict, our country’s peace isfragile at best. We cannot,
must
     not
, let ourselves be dragged back into civil war.’
    The ministers exchanged uneasy looks.
     Although the bloodshed was over a decade ago, scars still ran deep and the tensions
     between rival Hutu and Tutsi factions bubbled just beneath the surface, even within the
     government itself.
    ‘The president is right,’
     declared Minister Feruzi, his chair creaking as he settled his ample bulk into the seat.
     ‘We’ve only recently relocated all the Batwa tribes from the expanded Ruvubu
     National Park. If they learn that there’s a diamond field, they’ll make a
     claim over their ancestral lands. We cannot allow one minority tribal group to solely
     benefit. The whole country must prosper from this discovery.’
    ‘That’s
if
there are
     diamonds in the first place,’ commented the Minister for Energy and Mines. Adrien
     Rawasa, a thin man with a shaved head, hollow cheeks and rounded spectacles, stood and
     tapped a faded out-of-date geological map of Burundi on the whitewashed wall.
    ‘As you’re well aware, Mr
     President, our mining sector is still in its infancy. We have substantial deposits of
     nickel, cobalt and copper that can only be exploited with the help of foreign investors.
     We even have some seams of gold and uranium. But we’re not blessed – or cursed as
     you may see it – with the same bounty of natural resources as our neighbours. The land
     within the national park isn’t typical of the geology in which diamonds are found.
     The rumour might well have started from stones illegally smuggled across the border from
     the Congo or Rwanda.’
    ‘But is it
     conceivable there
could
be diamonds in the park?’ questioned President
     Bagaza.
    Minister Rawasa sucked at his lower lip as
     he studied the map. ‘Well … let’s just say it’s not
     impossible.’
    ‘Then we must tread very carefully.
     Minister Feruzi, close off the national park and order the rangers to begin a
     sector-by-sector search. I want confirmation that the diamond field is real before we
     start raising hopes and making plans. Tell the rangers they’re looking for
     poachers but to report anything else unusual. The last thing we need is a false diamond
     rush.’
    ‘Should I delay the French
     ambassador’s visit?’ asked Minister Feruzi.
    President Bagaza repeatedly clicked the top
     of his ballpoint pen out of habit, considering the proposal for a moment. ‘No. Not
     after the millions France has invested in the conservation programme. If we don’t
     show them progress, they’ll cut off all our international aid. And we can’t
     afford to lose such funding.’ He gave everyone at the table a meaningful look.
     ‘In the meantime, this news isn’t to go any further than this room.
     Understood?’
    His ministers nodded obediently. But
     President Bagaza knew it was a futile request.