Xsampa

[Reddy]

This is the central news agency for all news relating to the Kingdom of Utembo.

[Reddy]

King Ifu Dies Heirless
September 4236


Ifu I

Mfalme (King) Ifu I has died of a stroke ending a 39 year reign which was dominated by the succession conflict with neighbouring Bianjie The King was 84 years old and the last male of the House of Danjuma which has ruled the kingdom since 3493. Ifu was widely viewed as the only thing that protected the northern half of the country from occupation by Bianjie forces. Much of south remains either occupied by Bianjie or subject to ferocious and regular raids from the Khanate. With Ifu gone, the Crown Council has appointed Ifu's Military Counsellor Ping Kagora as Regent and a Great Deliberation is to be held soon to decide on who the next monarch will be.

[Reddy]

Great Deliberation Begins



Great Deliberation attendees being welcomed by Regent Ping Kagora

The Great Deliberation has begun at the Royal Compound in Bajoum. Hundreds of tribal chiefs, lama, indigenous spirit diviners and business magnates have gathered there at the invitation of the Regent Ping Kagora. Consensus will be sought and it will not be "some crude electoral nonsense" as a Royal Compound spokesman declared to the media. The declared candidates for the throne has presented their claims, of the 187 claimants, only six are held to have any real chance of winning the throne. They are:

- Ping Kagora, Regent of Utembo, great grandson of King Ahmed VI through the female line.
- Princess Zakia bint Ifu, only surviving daughter of King Ifu.
- Jinong (Prince) Ta Phac, son of Bianjie's Khan An Cong and Princess Ashanti of Utembo (daughter of Ahmed VIII)
- Chief Jakaya Mapinduzi, the most senior tribal Chief.
- A faction has suggested Sveinung Williamsen, King of Kazulia as a viable candidate. They believe that such an election could help giving Utembo an advantage in its war with Bianjie. The King has not expressed any interest himself.
- Another faction has proposed the adoption of a Daenist theocracy under the guidance of a council of senior lamas.

Each faction will present its case through song, poetry, speeches and lavish displays of wealth. It is viewed highly unlikely that a woman or foreigner will be picked, especially the son of the troublesome Bianje Khan. The other two factions both present too radical a departure from tradition. The odds are in favour of Regent Kagora or Chief Mapinduzi winning although both men are well advanced in age, both being in their late 70's. Still a number of other factors including the notorious "slave power" may just play a greater than most observers might imagine.


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[Reddy]

Surprise Candidate Wins
August 4237

"Business magnate" Kang Awanda has clinched the throne of Utembo in a stunning victory over several frontrunners which saw nearly all tribal chiefs unite to proclaim him the successor to King Ifu. The 58 year old Awanda had actually been on a business trip to Eilomax headquarters when the Great Deliberation began. One of the wealthiest and most powerful slavers in the Third World, Awanda had been in the process of renewing his supply contracts with Eilomax the premier global slaving corporation. He has taken the throne name "Ahmed IX"


Ahmed IX

Upon his return, he showered gifts on the tribal chiefs as is customary but perhaps more effectively, vowed to intensify the war against Bianjie and to conquer the nation, enslave every single Bianjin, distribute some among the chiefs and the rest sold off to fund a basic income plan to relieve Utembo's more impoverished citizens. Soon after they would begin raiding other neighbouring country and soon become the leading slaver nation in Terra. Awanda claimed that Eilomax had agreed to supply him with weapons for the war with Bianjie. When he arrived, the chiefs were hopelessly deadlocked between Regent Kagora or Chief Mapinduzi. Soon after both candidates' supporters abandoned them for Awanda and when it becomes obvious that their causes were dead, they also endorsed him.

[Reddy]

Operation Black Lightning A Success
April 4238

Ahmed IX's seven month long "Operation:Black Lightning"has proven to be a massive success with the Kitembo armed forces and aligned foreign mercenaries sweeping Bianjin forces all the way back to the border. Kitembo forces also apparently managed to break the Bianjin supply lines with guerilla style attacks in the occupied territories by civilians secretly trained by special trainers hired from abroad. The King's forces thought to number somewhere between 40 and 60,000 are sporting some relatively impressive equipment which is thought to have been funded by the King's longtime business ally, the slaving company Eilomax. In battles with the Bianjin occupying forces, as many as 5,000 Bianjin troops and raiders have been captured, enslaved and given as presents or sold off by Ahmed IX to his supporters.


Kitembo tanks rolling into the liberated town of Nyerere

With nearly all of Utembo now liberated, Ahmed IX has reaffirmed his intentions to invade Bianjie itself, oust the Khan and depopulate the country via mass enslavement of its citizens. The two countries are perennial foes and are almost always at war or with some skirmish of some sort. Ahmed IX's bombastic promises were taken by most observers to be just puffing but now it is clear that he might be strong enough to destroy Bianjie or at the very least, severely weaken it.

[Reddy]

King Denounces SC Resolution, Prepares For Invasion
August 4240

King Ahmed IX has slammed Security Council Resolution 24as a "Kazulian led neo-imperialist masters' plot to re-occupy the ex-colonies" Ahmed IX said that he would bring forward the planned invasion of Bianjie by a few weeks noting that he already had approximately 45,000 troops massed at the border, ready to enter Bianjie. The King appeared to backtrack somewhat from his vow to depopulate Bianjie, saying that he only wished to remove the Khan from power as he is "a danger to all nations".


Utemban troops

The Resolution is set to pass and see as many as 15,000 peacekeepers deployed along the Utembo-Bianjie border. The Utemban royal court views this as a blatantly pro-Bianjin move as their renewed offensive has successfully dislodged the Bianjins from southern Utembo and they now have a unique opportunity to inflict pain upon Bianjins as they did during their invasion.With strong support from what Ahmed IX described as "silent partners", the Utemban army is better equipped and more motivated than ever.

[lewiselder1]

War declared between Utembo and Medina!

OOC: Part of an RP about Medina establishing an empire in the third world. All future and previous information relevant many to this posted in Medina’s newspaper. If controlled by another player in this time who wants Utembo to be independent, just PM me here or on the discord to discuss how to make sure the lord all works out and whatever!

[CanFly]

Talmoria Prepares to Intervene in Utembo

[lewiselder1]

Peace! Nation Divides

[CanFly]

Demilitarized Zone Established in the Utembos