Cobura

[jamescfm]

     
     Assefa Meseret Mengistu declares eradication of cholera in the Free Hosian Republic
          9 September 5419

Assefa Meseret Mengistu, the leader of the Free Hosian Republic in Cobura, has declared cholera has been eradicated in the region. Over the past two decades, Cobura has dealt with a major outbreak of the bacterial infection. The federal government has set a target for eradicating the disease nationally by the end of the decade. Since the beginning of the Coburan civil war, it is estimated to have killed over 3,000 people.

Prevention of cholera is usually simple where proper sanitation systems exists. Civil war and widespread poverty in Cobura have provided ideal conditions for the spread of the disease since the beginning of the century though. Cobura’s healthcare infrastructure was damaged during the war too. Throughout the conflict, there were repeated reports of militant groups targeting hospitals.

With the support of the International Health Authority, the Coburan federal government and all three regional governments have committed significant resources to rebuilding sanitation systems over the past six years. The project has been a point of shared cooperation between the People’s Salvation Front and Nen-Snēou. President Paŭlo Jozefido and Prime Minister Besammon Kalaphatis recently made a joint commitment to redouble their efforts to meet the target.

Challenges lie ahead in spite of the progress. Cholera thrives in eastern Dilganato within the Majatran Special District. The regional government exercises control over most of the region’s territory but continues to fight against a small number of Majatran militia groups. Healthcare workers have found accessing these regions dangerous or impossible. As a result, there are concerns the disease may continue to flourish while the intermittent conflict persists.

The Sharba Telegram is a national daily broadsheet newspaper with a moderate and liberal editorial perspective.

[jamescfm]

Coburan regional leaders agree deal to create federal armed forces
9 August 5420


Cobura’s three regional governments have agreed a deal to allow the creation of a federal military. The new agreement is a major departure from the peace agreement that brought an end to the Coburan civil war nine years ago. Under the terms of that agreement, defence was a power reserved to regional governments. The effect of these terms was to institutionalise paramilitaries as the armed forces of the regions they controlled.

The new agreement provides various restrictions on the power of the federal government. The most significant is the requirement that all three regional governments must approve any deployment of the armed forces. The provision ensures the new federal military could never be used against any of the regions. Limitations on the size of the federal armed forces are included too.

The principal reason for the creation of the federal armed forces is the ongoing conflict in eastern Dilganato. The regional armed forces of the Majatran Special District have struggled to deal with a host of Majatran militia groups that refused to abide the terms of the 5411 peace agreement. For several years, the conflict has been a significant drain on the limited resources of the regional government. At the end of last year, the situation worsened when warlord Yasin Bakr launched a successful offensive against government forces.

Without the intervention of the federal armed forces, there is legitimate concern about the collapse of the regional government. Earlier this year, leaders from the two autonomous republics met to discuss the possibility of intervening. The proposal was rejected due to opposition from the government of the Majatran Special District, as well as reservations on the part of military leaders within Nen-Snēou and the Hosian Defence Forces.

     Majatran Eye is a broadsheet newspaper available throughout Majatra focusing on international economic and political affairs

[Kubrick]

               

               
               Successful writer Sisay Makonnen at the first congress of the Popular Democratic Front for Freedom, Prosperity and Labour.

               UNITY! Major Mallan and leftist parties merge into Popular Democratic Front

10 August 5420 - Ever since the conclusion of the Civil War the left, most notably the Mallan left, has been struggling to regroup and reinvent itself. Several parties formed as "successors" to the Revolutionary Front but none of them managed to capture the audience. These developments eventually resulted in a splintered left. However due to the intervention of Sisay Makonnen the largest parties came together and organized a congress to vote on a merger. The Socialist Union (YH), Mallan Workers' Movement (YSI), New Revolutionary Front (AAG) and even the Zardic-based Secular Socialist Party (LSP) all agreed to work together into forming a new united left against the reactionary Hosian establishment. Makonnen, at that time a member of the radical left Mallan Workers' Movement (YSI), quickly became a popular figure to unite behind. In recent years he has written several books about his political philosophy and experiences as an idealist fighter during the Civil War. His war memoirs, With the Red Brothers, sold a record amount of books in 5417 and remains a bestseller. Makonnen's accessible writing style and flair have attracted him a large following amongst the Coburan left.

As a major proponent of unification on the left it was Makonnen who wrote an open letter to all leftist parties in Cobura with a call for unity. His letter was answered, beside the major parties that were already moving towards unification several smaller regional parties also joined in. The stage was set for the first congress. It quickly became apparent that a large majority of the parties were Mallan, which in the first days of negotiations made two Irkawan and one Zardic party leave the congress without joining the united left. Nonetheless when all attending parties voted to unify into the Popular Democratic Front it boasted an impressive eight Mallan parties, four Zardic parties, and three Irkawan parties. Membership numbers vary amongst the different factions but judging by the voting on matters like establishing a Mallan state as a part of the Federation the majority of the party is Mallan, this is estimated to be around 75% of its members. As such it was easy for Sisay Makonnen to be elected as the new leader, he only faced opposition from the Zardic socialist union leader Hieronimo Aŭskultanto and won the vote with a stunning 91%. After being elected Makonnen named feminist icon Abeba Desta Teshome as his 'running mate'. The Popular Democratic Front has already started their campaign for the 5422 elections, announcing that in "modern politics only a permanent campaign can unite the workers of Cobura."

               The Flame (Nebelibali) is a Mallan left-leaning tabloid newspaper that publishes both sensationalist news and editorial pieces.

[Zanz]

     Election 5422: YK will contest next month's elections on platform of Coburan nationalism
          18 December 5421
Gorfu Kenea of the Yekobura Kurati [Luth: Coburan Pride, YK] will lead his party's first national election next month on a platform of Coburan nationalism and liberal centrism. The party has existed since the end of the civil war as a loose affiliation of various Coburan unitarist factions in each of the three federal states, but under the leadership of Gorfu Kenea, elected at a national congress of the YK this year, has formalized itself into a unified body contesting elections at the national level.

YK's platform expresses support for the phased subsumption of the federal states into a more powerful central government with no one ethnic group dominating, though the party is pragmatic and recognizes that such a future is not near at hand in a nation so recently wracked by outright civil war along ethnic lines and still today fighting ethnic separatist groups. As concrete steps toward national unity and reconciliation the YK advocates for strong investment in education, the further implementation of agreements to centralize power similar to the recent creation of a federal army, and an investment in economic diversification aimed first at shoring up an agricultural sector thrown into chaos by years of warfare.

It remains unclear whether YK's message will resonate in Cobura where the prospect of national unity so often seems so distant, but Gorfu Kenea and the YK believe that the people of Cobura are first-most Coburans and will support politics that bring an end to violence in the Federation.

The Sharba Telegram is a national daily broadsheet newspaper with a moderate and liberal editorial perspective.

[Pragma]

     
     Zōilos Angietis dead at 91, Nen-Snēou to dissolve
          3 January 5422

Former Commander-in-Chief of Cobura Zōilos Angietis has died at the age of 91, reportedly of lung cancer. The news comes shortly before Cobura is expected to head to the polls in a multi-party election. Angietis was a controversial figure, who had been investigated for war crimes during his leadership of Nen-Snēou's armed wing in the Coburan Civil War. An ardent Irkawan nationalist, his death is sure to sharply divide public opinion in the country.

The leadership of Nen-Snēou subsequently announced its decision to dissolve. The party has already had issues with internal discontent, and party members were absent from the Federal Congress for a period of months due to disputes between factions as Angietis' health failed. The decision to disband the party can be interpreted as a way for Angietis' closest supporters to avoid the political spotlight in anticipation of a difficult legal period, as the former Commander-in-Chief's position under the post-civil-war peace treaty allowed him to protect some of his followers from criminal prosecution. Nen-Snēou will remain on the ballot, as the campaign has already begun, but is unlikely to attract many votes.

The Sharba Telegram is a national daily broadsheet newspaper with a moderate and liberal editorial perspective.

[Pragma]

     Former Finance Minister Pashai Lembeki to start new party
     10 February 5423

Pashai Lembeki, the former Finance Minister of Cobura, has announced his plans to form a new political party called "Lemēshēou Tes-Irkawa" (Luthorian: Warriors of Irkawa) - also to be known by the acronym LTI. Lembeki says the party will be a "conservative voice for the Irkawan people and followers of Arkhē". Lembeki has left open the option of cooperating with other minor ethnic parties, such as the Majatrans.

Lembeki's move comes after the collapse of Nen-Snēou (NS) following the death of its veteran leader Zōilos Angietis, the former Commander-in-Chief of Cobura. NS held the banner as the country's premier defender of Irkawan rights and the autonomous Republic of Irkawa. The death of our former leader was mourned widely throughout Irkawa, given the late Commander-in-Chief's role in the liberation of Sharba from the previous corrupt regime.

Fiowō Irkawa is a news service based in Sharba, Cobura, associated with the Irkawan nationalism

[jamescfm]

Coburan federal armed forces report early success in Dilganato
23 February 5423


Cobura’s federal military has made a positive contribution to the protracted insurgency in eastern Dilganato, according to reports from the government. Four weeks ago, the Coburan Ground Forces began their first operation, supporting the military forces of the Majatran Special District in the ongoing conflict against a collection of militia groups. The conflict has been ongoing since the end of the Coburan civil war.

When an agreement was reached to create a federal military two and a half years ago, it was a direct response to the conflict in Dilganato. In many ways, the agreement was a precursor to later political developments. Gorfu Kenea was elected president earlier this year on a platform that supporting shifting power from the regional governments to the federal government. The death of Zōilos Angietis and the subsequent collapse of Nen-Snēou have changed the political landscape too.

The federal government has faced a number of challenges to reach this point. In the process of creating the federal armed forces, they relied heavily on the cooperation and support of the Hosian Defence Forces, and the armed forces of the two autonomous republics. The ethnically and racially integrated nature of the federal armed forces has been a point of debate. Recruits are drawn from across the country but Hosian Zards are significantly overrepresented among officers.

The long-term impact of the federal military’s involvement in the conflict remains to be seen. Since warlord Yasin Bakr’s successful offensive against the regional government in 5419, there has been limited progress for either side. The support of federal forces has provided fresh impetus for the government side but the nature of the conditions and the conflict mean this will be difficult to maintain.

     Majatran Eye is a broadsheet newspaper available throughout Majatra focusing on international economic and political affairs

[Zanz]

     
     Jelbek turmoil risks destabilizing Lake Majatra region, FM says
          10 July 5423

Foreign Minister Mr. Yakob Asfaw today opened up to faculty, students, and reporters assembled at Sharba Institute for Foreign Affairs on the topic of regional current events. The FM gave a scheduled presentation to the school and during questions was asked to speak to the government's position on recent developments in Jelbe, where a succession crisis has turned violent and the military is reported to have seized power.

The government of the Federation watches with careful scrutiny events unfolding in Baofluz. It is an unfortunate fact that we are well acquainted with political violence, and we know the toll these struggles exact on the working peoples of a nation. We call upon all involved to moderate themselves, to seek the better angels of their nature, and to put the interests of the country first. Cobura knows well that turmoil in Jelbe risks destablizing the Lake Majatra region, and is happy to assist in whatever way required.

The Sharba Telegram is a national daily broadsheet newspaper with a moderate and liberal editorial perspective.

(OOC: backdated post)

[jamescfm]

People’s Salvation Front restructures ahead of federal election
12 August 5426

As next year’s federal election approaches, the People’s Salvation Front (PSF) has completed a series of reforms to its internal structure and leadership. The changes are a response to a changing political environment in Cobura. Over fifteen years since the peace agreement that brought an end to the civil war, new political forces have emerged. At the time that it was originally formed, the PSF was primarily competing with other ethnic-based political parties. For the past four years, the party has governed in coalition with two multi-ethnic political movements: the National Prosperity Council, and Coburan Pride.

The objective of the reforms is to create a more unified political coalition that has a broader national appeal. The two largest parties in the coalition are the Zard-dominated Social Progress Party and the Mallan-dominated National Defence League. Both parties emerged from paramilitary groups and their support is concentrated among particular ethnic communities. As a result, they have relied on forming alliances with smaller parties to win support outside the Free Hosian Republic in the past.

Under the new structure, the Social Progress Party has absorbed two smaller parties: Free and United, and the Majatran National Democratic Party. As part of the reforms, the party leadership has been deliberately diversified. Irkawan and Majatran politicians have been promoted to several high-profile roles. At the same time, the party has sought to moderate its position on religious issues to appeal to non-Hosian voters.

Although the changes have attracted the support of most senior figures, there has been a backlash among Zardic nationalist and hardline Hosian sections of the coalition. Two junior members of the regional government of the Free Hosian Republic resigned in protest when the changes were confirmed at a recent meeting of the party executive. Long-serving president Assefa Meseret Mengistu voiced his support for the changes, saying it was “important that our party adapts to the changing conditions in our country”.


The New Informer is a broadsheet Zardic-language newspaper covering current affairs from a liberal perspective

[jamescfm]

Federal government set to continue after continuity election
29 January 5427

Radko Velchevska’s tenure as Coburan prime minister appears set to continue in the wake of a federal election in which only three congressional seats changed hands. In this month’s election, the left-wing Popular Democratic Front won three additional seats to overtake the People’s Salvation Front as the largest party at the federal level. Despite this, the incumbent coalition government retained a large majority.

The presidential election did provide a striking difference from the previous election though. Incumbent president Gorfu Kenea placed last among the major party candidates. Popular Democratic Front leader Sisay Makonnen emerged victorious over former president Paŭlo Jozefido after second preference votes had been redistributed. Makonnen’s victory means there will be a situation of cohabitation for the first time in the Coburan federal government.