Ikradon

[CCP]

Act of Pure Evil will not go Unanswered

President Hermelinda Shelby promised justice after murder of Coburan monarch

AQQAK -- President Hermelinda Shelby vowed to destroy the First of Boh, the radical Hosian sect responsible for the assassination of Coburan monarch Lord Anwar. Addressing a press conference hastily arranged on news of Anwar's death, President Shelby said the senseless and reckless violence of terrorist cells like FoB poses a mortal threat to Hawu Mumenhes, Majatra, and the world. "Lord Anwar was the best friend of the Tokundian cause. The Tokundian autonomy movement was given its greatest victory by him. He dismantled centuries of Arkhē development in Cobura and ushered in a new commitment to religious diversity and freedom. The Hosian cause hasn't been stronger in Cobura for 500 years. And this wretched evil, from the Foot of Mumenhes, thanks Anwar and their countrymen with murder. The God of Yishalem may be merciful, and the First of Boh and their sponsors should pray that he is, because there is no mercy and no haven on Terra that will save them," President Shelby said.

President Shelby did not comment on what form Hawu intervention in Cobura would take, but military experts close to the administration told The Scribe that special forces operations and aerial attacks targeting Tokundian strongholds were most likely.

Opinion polls conducted by the Jackson iny Hawu Institute following President Shelby's address indicate majority support for Hawu intervention, but not overwhelmingly so. 43% of survey respondents said Hawu Mumenhes has no discernible interests in the Tokundian conflict. Akusaa NeferkheperuSewehneb, a member of the legislature from Saqqad, is a leading voice of skepticism within Ity ꜣḥwt xꜣdt, the ruling party. 'The terrorists are now attacking our history, our heritage, and our historical ties with Cobura, and we acknowledge that. But we feel there has to be a more articulable clear and present danger before Hawu Mumenhes commits the lives of our armed forces to battle. We believe the President's instincts are correct, but the Administration has not finished the job of spelling-out Hawu interests here,' Mrs. NeferkheperuSewehneb told The Scribe. Defence Minister Everson Jabari Singleton disputed the skeptic wing however, insisting that the threats posed to heritage and values by Lord Anwar's assassination are the clear and present danger to Hawu interests. 'If we allow a legitimately-constituted, democratically elected, sovereign government to be decapitated and a country's borders to be arbitrarily redrawn by a bunch of hallucinating zealots with guns, we are in effect saying it's open season on democratic government, it's open season on peace and security, it's open season on Arkhē, and it's open season on the Esintsundu World,' Minister Singleton said by email.

Hawu forces have begun deploying to the Coburan theater lead by several special forces units detached from the honor guard of Pharaoh Remptahhu and Queen Ribrete who were in route to Sharba to visit Lord Anwar when word of his death was announced. The palace and Ministry of Defence issued a joint statement cautioning that the royal family is safe and has been re-routed back to Nekhatw where they are expected to arrive within hours. Pharaoh Remptahhu is a younger brother of the now-deceased Lord Anwar and is thought by many to have the strongest claim to succeed to the Coburan throne. However, given the centrality of royal and religious politics in Cobura's volatile conflict, the Shelby Administration has advised the royal family to withhold any discussion of hereditary claims for now.

A Defence Ministry spokesperson said that no clearances from the coup government in Sharba or the separatist government in Tokundi were sought or required before engagement by Hawu Mumenhes forces. 'Both of those governments are illegitimate and do not represent the democratic will of the Coburan people as expressed in the last elections there. Therefore no official engagement with either of them will be entertained by Hawu Mumenhes. We are however in contact with members of the deposed Vizier's Council and the ousted royalist party,' the spokesperson said. The spokesperson refused to confirm whether back channel discussions with the Sharba and Tokundi governments would occur however.

-Boipelo Zola Mabena-Tewodros, MAY 4057
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

Living Falcon Expeditionary Strike Group Sets Sail for War

Defense of Coburan people a must, President tells legislature

AQQAK -- The Hawu Mumenhes government today ordered the deployment of naval, air force, and special forces units to engage the Tokundian conflict in Cobura. Addressing the nation during a special session of the Remetch Shesito, Hawu's legislature, President Hermelinda Shelby told viewers that intervention in support of the Coburan people was a foregone conclusion since it is mandated by the Hawu Mumenhes Constitution.

During a sombre and serious debate, the President ensured cautious stakeholders that the Hawu government would partner with Cobura's deposed Royalist Coalition party for during the conflict. President Shelby called the Royalist Coalition the only legitimate representatives of the Coburan people and invited members of the party to set up a government-in-exile in Hawu Mumenhes.

The Hawu deployment is being lead by the HMS Seswen, the flagship of the Living Falcon Expeditionary Strike Group and its admiral DeQuan MaatyTaphmei. The force of naval destroyers, attack submarines, helicopters, attack jets, and special forces teams has been given the quadruple mission of aiding the reintegration of the Tokundi peninsula, dismantling the Fist of Boh and its sponsors, reinstalling the democratic government, and protecting Coburan civilians at all costs, especially those in the Domale, East Tokundi, and Irkawan regions.

An additional $30 billion was appropriated for the war effort in a Supplementary Budget submitted by Minister of Defence Everson Singleton following President Shelby's remarks.

-Boipelo Zola Mabena-Tewodros, Spring 4058
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

Arriving in Cobura, Hawu Forces Begin Operations near Silvanje Selo

Bombardments of paramilitary installations aim to smoke-out Tokundian forces

SILVANJE SELO, Cobura -- Hawu Mumenhes Expeditionary Strike Group Living Falcon completed deployment to the Coburan theatre last night, making its presence known with a series of strafing runs at attack tanks and armored vehicles stationed at the Tokundian Paramilitary Force's main military installation just outside the far western city of Silvanje Selo.

Commercial vessels berthed at the small sea port outside the city were evacuated of civilian personnel and secured by Hawu special forces, allowing the ESG to commandeer the port for basing purposes.

Away from the coast, the HMS Śqd, the ESG's attack submarine, began laying anti-submarine mines along the ocean floor to establish a defensive perimeter against any approach by Tokundi reinforcements or allies.

An aerial Seizure Wing began firing warning shots above Silvanje's main civilian-operated power plant on the outskirts of the city. A small formation of V-22 ospreys started a descent to low altitude above the plant campus to deliver a special forces company with orders to seize and secure the property. A second air detachment headed further inland towards Silvanje's civilian airport with identical orders.

As Harrier IIs began liftoff towards the paramilitary installation's supply, armament, and sanitation sections, search and rescue helicopters trailed behind. Soldiers near the helicopters' loading bays were busy unpacking boxes of leaflets planned for release above the paramilitary base. The leaflet's read:

Code: Select all

Lay down your arms.
Return to your families.
Resisters will be imprisoned.

Featured in the leaflet's letterhead was the royal emblem of the Lord of Cobura differenced by the symbol of Remptahhu Pteroumes, King of Hawu Mumenhes.

-Boipelo Zola Mabena-Tewodros, 4057 or 4058
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

After Aiding Tokundi Reunification, Hawu Forces Head to Aŭgusta

Coburan conflict thought to be nearing end

SILVANJE SELO, Cobura -- The commander of Hawu Mumenhes forces in Cobura has accepted the unconditional surrender of Tokundi Republic officials and militia commanders in the western city of Silvanje Selo. Speaking to the press via video feed during a presidential news conference, Admiral DeQuan MaatyTaphmei said the peninsular city had been pacified and top Tokundi Republic officials taken into custody some months ago, but that his Living Falcon Expeditionary Strike Group had awaited coordinated surrenders from Coburan-held Tokundi cities in keeping with orders from Aqqak, the Hawu political capitol. 'While waiting for the victory order, what our soldiers were able to do was secure and stabilize Silvanje and restore basic services so that families could return to work and school and so that life could return to relative normalcy,' Admiral MaatyTaphmei told reporters.

But some human rights observers say that such security and stability may have come at a steep cost. Neferukenefre Williams, First Prophetess of Nefre of Silvanje, an ecumenical sect of Arkhē and Arkhē Mumenhes priestesses researching the affects of the Tokundi conflict on childhood nutrition in the nome, said household income per capita had declined as much as 70% in some parts of the city during the conflict, a reduction she attributed to the mass detention of Tokundi paramilitary soldiers who refused to stand down upon Hawu forces' arrival. 'These men were breadwinners for their families and supported sometimes half a dozen relatives or more on their paramilitary salaries. Hawu military rations and charity from Hawu aid groups can do so much, but they can't replace a head-of-household,' Williams insisted. Commander for Hawu Naval press relations in the theatre, Busingye Mbire, said however that Hawu officials did everything necessary to ensure families affected by military detentions did not fall below the bare essentials in household goods. 'When you have a provincial government that chooses to go to war against its own country, the supply and trade links to the revolting region collapse and the provincial economy suffers -- that was the decision of the Ciritović separatists, not Hawu Mumenhes,' Mbire said. 'And we did everything we could to limit the damage they caused.'

Hawu humanitarian aid groups have been joined by another mainstay in post-conflict Silvanje: missionaries. Seeming waves of priests from both the Coburan and Arkhē Mumenhes denominations of the Arkhē faith have tapped deep-pocketed backers to erect neo-Irkawan temples throughout the city. The building drive has been supported by both the Hawu government -- responding to military chaplains' complaints about the shortage of adequate worship facilities for deployed soldiers -- and by a coalition of Hawu and Coburan private donors organized by Arkhē temples internationally. But the biggest benefactor by far has been the Hawu royal family. 'The King's Majesty has established anew for the people of Cobura the houses of the Good Gods fallen into disrepair under the disorder of the godless rebels,' the palace at Nekhatw wrote in response to requests for comment.

Both the royal family and the Hawu government are speaking far more openly of late about Pharaoh Remptahhu's claim to his late brother's throne than they had at the start of Hawu's intervention in Cobura. Portis Imyremeshaw Soyinka, a Deputy Minister in the Hawu Ministry of Education and Culture, told The Scribe that royal support of the building drive is indeed part of the palace's and government's plan to see the House of Saksoure return to the throne of the five lands. 'The President fully supports the Pharaoh's efforts and the economic growth these temples bring to western Tokundi. Hawu Mumenhes policy has always been that legitimate government must be restored in Cobura, and that means an orderly succession of legitimately-illegible constitutional officers,' Deputy Minister Soyinka said. 'The Silvanje temples will allow the righteous of Taphmei to return to the pleasing of the Gods, they will help the Coburan people begin to return to a sense of normalcy, and they will help reintroduce Cobura to their Prince Remptahhu, the King's Son who brought the light of Cobura to Hawu.'


A Tokundi citizen is photographed in front of the Colossus of Remptahhu

Of the Deputy Minister's three asserted benefits, the reintroduction (or propagandizing, critics say) of Pharaoh Remptahhu to Cobura seems to be the palace at Nakhatw's most urgent goal if the differing scale and opulence of Silvanje Selo's various temples are any indication. The temple at the city square, near the old Tokundi Republic's headquarters in the metropolis, is the largest of the new Arkhē skyscrapers, and is accompanied about 100 yards east by a colossal bust of the Pharaoh. And the mammoth complex's name -- The Temple of Thousands of Years of Remptahhu of Silvanje Selo -- leaves little doubt as to the building spree's intentions. The Thousands of Years Temple is staffed by some five dozen priests and scores of attendants who service the complex in rotating shifts 24 hours a day, performing constant rituals to statues of the king and distributing to surrounding families and businesses the bounty of foods, cash, and goods sacrificed to the deified king by crowds of daily visitors. Asked when they expected to have vacations from their temple jobs, one junior priestess said, 'we do not break from the worship of the Good God. We are not leaving.'

And according to President Hermelinda Shelby, neither is Hawu Mumenhes. At the press conference announcing the formal surrender of Silvanje Selo, the President told reporters that while Hawu forces continued to work in concert with the Coburan military government to manage the Tokundi reintegration process, control of the city and the naval installation on its northwestern coast would not be granted to the Banemes government. 'Our partnership and our commitment in this conflict is with the Coburan people. We are honored and proud to share in the Coburan people's joy at seeing their fellow citizens -- their neighbors, coworkers, friends, and families -- home again in a united Cobura. But our work is not finished until legitimate government has a home in Cobura again as well,' the President remarked in her address. 'The Banemes regime has not only unilaterally usurped and overthrown an elected government. During the course of this conflict, through our interrogations of Tokundi Republic officials and senior Tokundi clerics in Silvanje Selo, we have also learned that there is dwindlingly little evidence for the Banemes regime's assertions of radical Hosian involvement in the murder of Lord Anwar. Our investigation, in partnership with the Royal Coalition government-in-exile, has traced weapons and financial support for Lord Anwar's killer back to persons closely associated with the inner circle of the Banemes regime. These crimes of government overthrow and support of terrorism are amongst the most serious possible violations of international norms and international law. Hawu Mumenhes will not permit the perpetrators of these crimes to go unpunished. And we will not yield the freedom of Silvanje Selo, hard won by Coburan citizens with the support of our heroic soldiers, to an unelected regime which believes it can trample on that freedom when and as it pleases,' the President said.

Defence Minister Everson Singleton, also speaking at the press conference, told reporters that Tokundi paramilitary enlistees still in custody would be spared courts martial in large part and sentenced to time-served and released over the coming weeks. 'This will help quicken the reviving of the Silvanje economy and allow our soldiers and Royal Coalition government-in-exile partners to focus more resources on good governance in the metropolis. As the reintegration transition comes to completion, a date for elections in the city will be announced, and we expect that to occur in about 90 days,' Minister Singleton said.

The Defence Minister also announced that a second Expeditionary Strike Group had been deployed to northeast Cobura to support the Banemes regime's effort to prosecute a resolution in the standoff versus Zardugal for control of Aŭgusta. Asked if it was contradictory to oppose the Banemes regime in Silvanje Selo while aiding it in Aŭgusta, President Shelby answered, 'absolutely not. Our alignment has always been with the Coburan people. Neither territorial disintegration in Tokundi nor Egato is in Hawu interests or Coburan interests. We will bring a resolution to the crimes of the Banemes regime once we have ensured the continued territorial integrity of a united Cobura.'

-Boipelo Zola Mabena-Tewodros, May 4072
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

Coburan War Victory Secured, Shelby Era Comes to a Close

President and cabinet set to resign says presidential press secretary

AQQAK -- The woman widely thought to be most responsible for building the world's newest nation after burying a second and before conquering a third is set to retire from public life according to recent statements by Presidential Press Secretary Fuzo Mabena-Asón. Called deprecatingly and fearfully 'Lady Conqueror' by Nekhatw Palace courtiers, but known simply as 'the president' to millions of Hawu men and women for whom she has come to represent authority, security, and prosperity, Hawu Mumenhes President Hermelinda Shelby signaled the end of her administration in hallmark sweeping style by ordering en masse resignation letters from her 12-member cabinet before tendering a post-dated farewell letter of her own to Queen Ribrete in Saisyut.

Hermelinda Shelby was elected to lead the young country in autumn 4046, practically before the ink had dried on Hawu Mumenhes's freshly-minted constitution. As Constitutional Convention deliberations neared conclusion in the early 4040s, it became increasingly clear to political observers that strong polling for Shelby's political party, then-called The Federationists, would likely leave control of the inaugural presidency, if not the office itself, in Shelby's hands. Several senior Federationist officials, including now-finance minister and Shelby confidante Dalingcebo Mathebula-Johnson, urged the party to back outgoing Ibutho President Sizwe Ihejirika as head of government for the new country, both as an acknowledgement of Ihejerika's strong stewardship during the predecessor state's dying days and as a show of stability during the transition to the new country. It was ultimately Shelby lieutenant Percy Merymumenhes Sibanyoni who gently exiled former President Ihejirika to Sahabist-tinged prayers at an Arkhē temple deep in the western provinces. Sibanyoni's pro-Shelby appeal to fellow Federationists was simple in its logic: Ibutho is a past whose perpetuation would only hamper Hawu Mumenhes's miraculous future; leave Ihejirika to nostalgia and give Hermelinda Shelby a blank canvas on which to sketch our future. The appeal worked and it wasn't even close: in the end, Mathebula-Johnson's pro-Ihejirika faction garnered a meager 13% in the party's presidential nomination contest.

Sibanyoni, for his part, became a permanent fixture of the Shelby era. He followed up the Federationist stand-off by courteously but firmly informing opposition parties Raaper iny Mumenhes, Smate iny abewtyru giqidio, and Xadtu nit zas Citioru that his party planned to win the country's inaugural elections and that other parties had a choice: join Shelby's team or watch from the benches as the next president drafts a new chapter in world history.

Historians are still wrapping their minds around what to make of Shelby's time in office. But broad consensus has already emerged on one point: it has the makings of something big. 'Her first policy out of the gate was to declare war, not write a new legal code, build embassies, or lead a national identity movement,' observed Mackenzie Davis, professor of political history at Soleb University. Many countries are birthed in the midst of armed conflict, but those tend to be wars of necessity. The transition to Hawu Mumenhes from Ibutho was a peaceful one, making Shelby's armed midwifing a war of choice.

When Shelby and other power-brokers like Sibanyoni and Vice-President Reginald Afewerk-Maxwell began raising the alarm about growing tensions in Cobura, leading voices within and outside the government and ruling party immediately pumped the breaks, pressuring the Shelby administration for a defensible casus belli. The administration's thin initial response -- amounting to little more than, 'they killed the king's brother' -- put so much wind at the anti-war movement's back that Shelby was nearly defeated before a shot was fired. 'Two things saved her,' says Mkhumbuleni Mhaule, a longtime colleague in Fourth Week Group, the exclusive corporate executives club that hatched the Hawu idea and was the forerunner of The Federationist Party. 'One was having Abasi Jafari as her foreign minister. When he stepped onto the legislative floor and said look, as a new country, we either make our mark or get eaten alive, that changed alot of people's minds, because as an opposition party leader and as a statesman, he had legitimacy and stature. Jafari rescued Hermelinda many times over the years, mostly out of the limelight -- Hawu exists as much because of him as because of her, because she simply wouldn't have survived without his help. The second thing that saved the war effort was Shelby's backdoor line to Sharba, especially to heavyweights in both the deposed Royal Coalition and Banemes's National Salvation party. She was able to build relationships like that, quietly but critically. She's known for her iron will and no-nonsense style, but it's her behind-the-scenes friendships that saw her through.'

Hawu's intervention in Cobura lasted some 23 years, nearly coequal with Shelby's time in office. The war's length, and its tendency to draw all attention in the political capital Aqqak, has led some observers to begin labeling Shelby a failure for leaving other matters unaddressed. But Davis, the Soleb faculty, disagrees. 'She has left domestic policy all but unremarked, her massive legislative reform effort is incomplete, and her early talk of building a network of embassies to introduce Hawu to the world never got off the ground,' Davis concedes. 'But I think in the next few years, the historical consensus is going to congeal and agree that the Tokundi war has done more to define Haw foreign policy and establish the nation's identity than any other political hot button could have done.'

No matter the historical verdict, the battlefield outcome is clear: early last year, President Shelby successfully negotiated and ratified the Treaty of Silovanje Selo which saw all of Shelby's war objectives achieved and affirmed by Hawu's new Coburan partners. Banemes and his regime are currently standing trial, the Tokundi peninsula has been reintegrated with Cobura, Zardugal has been easily pacified with a few churches and costume parties, and the Coburan government looks to be on the cusp of granting their throne to Hawu's Pharaoh Remptahhu, which many foreign policy professionals hope will form the basis of a lasting Special Relationship, in word and substance, between the ancient Arkhē power and the new one. If the goal was to go out on a high note, Shelby could hardly have timed her exit better.

Now nearing 70, where will the Rutanian expat and former insurance executive spend her retirement? Not in retirement, says Presidential Press Secretary Mabena-Asón. 'The President has many years of service left in her. The President fell in love with Cobura and the Coburan people during the Tokundi conflict despite so much tragedy. And so she plans to be one of the many Hawu who've been traveling to Cobura to aid the reconstruction effort.' Asked if that meant Shelby would be joining Pharaoh Remptahhu's monarchical revival in the Majatran nation, Mabena-Asón was nearly withering. 'The President has never been a monarchist. That was clear as far back as the Constitutional Convention. The President expects that Pharaoh will return to the throne of the Five Lands in keeping with the Coburan constitution. But what the President wants to reign is the Coburan people. So much of the world's knowledge and heritage are thanks to them. And the President believes their time in the sun is on the horizon again.'

-Boipelo Zola Mabena-Tewodros, SEPTEMBER 4085
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

Tutimaios Saksoure VI Succeeds His Father as Pharaoh of Hawu Mumenhes

Now monarch of three kingdoms, Saksoure VI consecrates Esintsundu Empire

SHARBA, COBURA -- Today Pharaoh Remptahhu Saksoure V, who held the Kingdoms of Cobura and Hawu Mumenhes in personal union, has passed on. His eldest son, King Tutimaios of Talmoria-Aslistan, is expected to succeed his father. As the sovereign of the three great Esinsundu nations, Tutimaios has seen it fit to declare the formation of the Esinsundu Empire consisting of Talmoria, Cobura, and Hawu Mumenhes. Tutimaios was in Sharba, Cobura when news of his father's death broke among international news outlets. Emissaries from Hawu, Cobura, and Talmoria all gathered quickly in Sharba to declare Tutimaios as the new Emperor and to swear fealty to him. The formal coronation is expected to occur in Neuhaus, Talmoria. The Emperor released a statement shortly after the imperial declaration.

While I am deeply saddened at my father's passing, I have a sacred duty as the sovereign of these three Esinsundu nations to protect the Esinsundu people from harm. The Esinsundu people have suffered greatly throughout the centuries. We've experienced alienation, subjugation, and enslavement at the hands of the imperial powers. Even today, we are still subject to immense brutality as we are all seeing unfold in Likatonia. I will not allow for my people to suffer any longer. The Esinsundu Empire will act as a shield and a bulwark against imperialism directed towards smaller states. I hope I can fill the shoes my father left and lead the Esinsundu people to greatness.

In Association with Talmorian Cable News Network, JULY 4105

[CCP]

Federationists, Back in Power, Stack Deck with Foreign Policy Heavyweights

Self-made weapons systems manufacturer and Tokundi War veteran Darian Busara Chapman to lead new administration as President

AQQAK -- Following two decades of quiet domestic focus, Hawu Mumenhes is set to return its gaze to foreign policy which some political observers say is the country's heritage. Darian Busara Chapman, the self-made weapons manufacturer, and party chairman Former Vice President Reginald Afewerk-Maxwell led the Federatonists to a comprehensive victory in January's federal elections on campaign appeals to patriotism, concern for foreign allies, and nostalgia for the assertive emergent power stance of the Shelby-Ribrete years. Chapman was nominated to the presidency by outgoing President Menes Atep whose hȝ n w-s-t-n-nw-w party did not contest the elections.

Chapman's rise to the apex of politics was scarcely predicted given his distance from the nucleus of the Federationist leadership during the Shelby administration and given the widely-admired performance of Afewerk-Maxwell as Vice President under Shelby which led many to consider him a shoe-in to succeed her. The eventual turn from the former Vice President and toward Chapman was led by a number of quiet but steely voices calling for a more aggressive approach to foreign affairs than many believe the dignified former Vice President would countenance.

The newly-inaugurated President Chapman has filled his cabinet with new faces, most of them hard-boiled foreign policy experts. An exception, though, is former Environment and Tourism Minister Victoria Ashleigh-Dlamini who has been elevated to Foreign Affairs Minister despite her reputation as a moderate on foreign policy. Also returning to the cabinet is former Trade and Industry Minister (and Taji Energy scion) Yacine Diarra Hakim who strongly advocated the need for forceful leadership given a currently-unstable international environment. Hakim was rewarded for his support with a promotion to Minister of Defence. Amongst the new faces are Neferu SaCebisile Nomcebo Mathebula as Finance Minister, who, as the name suggests, is a 2nd great-grandson of 40th century finance executive Cebisile Nomcebo Mathebula, and newly-appointed Vice President Wepwawetkharabai Idowu, an adherent of the cult of Kharabai, and an uncompromising Abasunduist and foreign policy hawk. Vice President Idowu is expected to have nearly untrammeled control of the federal government, especially on the domestic side, as President Chapman is expected to remain occupied with imperial and World Congress politics.

A final victor at January's election was the new head of state, Alioune Bâ-Creighton, who has chosen to reign with the throne name MumenhessAnkhKhem. Because His Imperial Majesty the Emperor is both male and already wed, a ritual marriage and accession to the sovereign rank was unavailable. MumenhessAnkhKhem therefore chose to marry the emperor's younger sister, Princess Ajōrēshakheto and take on the titles King's Son of Hawu Mumenhes, of viceregal rank, and The Prince Regent, of royal rank. Prince Regent MumenhessAnkhKhem and President Chapman plan to disembark immediately for talks with Talmorian Great Farin Teleola Mbanefo and for the royal couple's wedding rituals which are expected to be conducted by the emperor personally.

-Boipelo Zola Tewodros meryMumenhes, February 4107
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

Malivia Mission Going Well says Talmoria's Mbanefo

Talmoria Head of Government Teleola Mbanefo sits down for an interview with The Daily Scribe's Editor-at-Large

Neuhaus -- Talmorian Great Farin Teleola Mbanefo's young administration is off to a heady start. After reasserting the primacy of democratic government versus the monarchy in Neuhaus, the Great Farin stared down powerful Esinsundu Empire ally Hawu Mumenhes, calling Hawu President Darian Chapman's bluff on the Malivian and Likatonian conflicts. Now at the helm of state in the imperial capitol, and leading an international coalition against rogue regimes, Mbanefo finds himself contending for position as one of the world's most influential politicians with few comers in the offing. Boipelo Zola Tewodros meryMumenhes, Editor-at-Large of The Daily Scribe, traveled to Neuhaus for an interview with the de facto leader of the Esinsundu Empire.

Great Farin, you recently announced the enforcement of a No-Fly Zone in Malivia. Is that operation progressing as well as expected? What do you expect the outcome of this intervention to be, and how long do you think it will be before the conflict is resolved?

The mission in Malivia is going very well. The East Artanian Corp. doesn’t have much of an air force so the Empire is pretty much in control of the skies. Right now we are only bringing supplies and other humanitarian aid to communities in Malivia. I hope that the naval blockade and the no-fly zone weakens the East Artanian Corporation’s hold on power and eventually causes their government to collapse and a transition to home-rule. I don’t know how much longer these operations will continue for. The Empire is prepared to pursue different strategies if it is apparent that the blockade and the no-fly zone isn’t effective.

Your government has spoken strongly against the outrages in Malivia, and Hawu Mumenhes President Chapman has taken a forthright stance against crimes by the Likatonian regime; however Grand Vizier Veer of Cobura has been quiet on both matters. Does the Empire have a unified policy regarding these issues? If so, will the Empire speak as one voice, or should the pronouncements of one Kingdom be taken as the policy of the other Kingdoms as well?

All three kingdoms are allowed enormous amounts of autonomy in running its own affairs. However, we all follow the foreign policy and military directives of Their Imperial Majesties. While I cannot prompt a public response from the Grand Vizier, I assure you that he is very much with us on both issues. I don’t know why he hasn’t issued statements on these situations. Perhaps he felt that President Chapman and I said all that needed to be said?

Your government hosts the reigning Imperial Family. How have Their Imperial Majesties been affected by the reports out of Malivia and Likatonia?

The Imperial Family is obviously very disturbed and troubled by the events in Malivia and Likatonia. Their Imperial Majesties have donated large portions of their own wealth to purchase supplies in order to help those in Malivia. Their Imperial Majesties are 100% behind the actions taken by Imperial forces in Malivia and Likatonia so far. Empress Moniade is also slated to visit some refugees who recently arrived.

Do you and the Emperor enjoy a good relationship? Does being the host government of the Imperial Family cause extra burdens and pressures for you and your fellow Farins? How have the Talmorian people responded to Emperor Tutimaios since he ascended the throne of your country?

The Emperor and I enjoy a close personal and working relationship. We work together on many matters of state and I consider the Emperor to be a close friend. I don’t think being the host nation of the Imperial Family is a burden. I actually think that it has been an advantage. His vision and guidance helps us as Farins in executing Imperial policy both domestically and abroad. Additionally, the Emperor’s support for many of my government’s policies have allowed us to pass many reforms that help millions of Talmorians.

Talmorians recognize their Emperor as a benevolent ruler who has their best interests at heart. The Emperor is known for taking strolls down the streets of Neuhaus and listening to the problems of the citizenry. Generally speaking, I think most Talmorians hold the Emperor in high esteem.

You have served as Great Farin of Talmoria for 4 years now, a relatively short time for a Terran head of government. Yet you recently oversaw a large cabinet reshuffle so soon into your Farinate. Powerful figures like Defence Farin Buhari and Finance Farin Diya were turned out of office in favor of a member of the Hakim dynasty and the unknown Enitan Igbinedion. In fact, the only members of council you retained are Farin Karimi and Farin Mbadinuju who interestingly traded ministries. Was this turnover simply part of the natural transition from His Imperial Majesty's term as Great Farin to your own or were there other considerations involved? What were the biggest drivers behind your staffing decisions? And does Farin Karimi's move to the Interior Farinate indicate a larger role for him within the RDO and Talmorian politics in the future? After all, you yourself ascended to the Great Farinate from the Ministry of the Interior.

My former cabinet was comprised mostly of hold-overs from the previous administration that was headed by His Imperial Majesty. I did not change the cabinet when I took office because I was appointed, not elected. I felt that I did not have the mandate to change the cabinet without reason.

However, such a drastic change in the cabinet was a difficult thing to do as I’ve worked extensively with all of my fellow Farins. Many of us even served together in the Gbara during my party’s days as the minority party. But, I felt that it was important to have new faces on the cabinet as these positions are not for life. I also wanted to ensure that the cabinet and I shared the same vision for the future and for progress. Additionally, many of my former Farins are still active politically but chose to pursue different paths. For example, Farin Buhari, who has since left the council, won a seat in the Gbara and still remains a high ranking member of the party.

Now regarding Karimi and Mbadinuju – I don’t know either of their plans for the future. They are both relatively young and ambitious. They could be future Great Farins in waiting. There are many within my party who like to see them run for Great Farin in the future. In any case they’re both qualified to lead their respective Farinates and I have the utmost confidence in their abilities if they choose to pursue a higher office.

4107ish, contemporary with the conflict in Malivia

[CCP]

President Chapman, Term-Limited, Resigns from Office

The one-time political neophyte turned world statesman succeeded by minority party Chairwoman Esajōrē Setemes

AQQAK -- A hastily-arranged changing of the guard in the Hawu political and financial capitol has seen the ruling Federationist Party turned out from power after 22 years at the helm.

President Darian Busara Chapman recently notified head of state Prince Mumenhes Ankh Khem of his intention to resign the Presidency as constitutionally required. Under Article One, the head of state and head of government must be elected to office from different political parties to ensure checks and balances between the government's primary power centers. The reigning monarch, Prince Mumenhes Ankh Khem, was elected to office on the Ity ꜣḥwt xꜣdt ticket in 4107. Following his investiture, the Prince appointed fellow member of Ity ꜣḥwt xꜣdt (also called the Federationist Party), Chapman, to the Presidency under the First Amendment which waives separation of powers provisions so long as only one political party is active in federal politics.

The Federationists' monopoly on federal power ended abruptly with the 4126 emergence of Remetch Giqidio Henelka (originally called Abewtyru Remetch Henelka), a left-of-center nationalist party. The RGH leadership soon informed now-former President Chapman that RGH Chairwoman Esajōrē Setemes would be the party's candidate for President, signaling Chapman to initiate the transition to a new administration. The handover of power was completed with a resplendent royal ceremony where the Prince administered the oath of office to President Setemes before the national legislature and the eyes of the world.

As a condition for taking on the Presidency's daunting responsibilities, President Setemes insisted that Foreign Minister Victoria Ashleigh-Dlamini and Minister of Defence Yacine Hakim remain at their posts to ensure continuity in Aqqak's foreign policy, a focal point and leading legacy of the Chapman administration. Other cabinet portfolios were filled out by RGH members, including Taharqa Towodros, a stern advocate for state intervention in the economy, who Setemes nominated to the Vice Presidency.

It was Vice President Towodros who lead RGH (also called the Nationalists) to their first legislative victory with his Defense Subsidies Act which redirected billions in federal monies to arms manufacturing companies. The stark shift away from the federal government's free market leanings under previous administrations has led some commentators to fret over potential risk to Hawu Mumenhes's prominent but delicate international standing. 'Chapman took this country to new heights and every capitol in the world knows it,' said Adetola Bankole, a political economy researcher at Prosperity Foundation, a research and advocacy think tank. 'The consensus for 80 years has been to leave big business free to create wealth and redirect the largess to foreign policy. Every administration has stuck to the script. Upset the applecart, and other countries start wondering if Aqqak is a dependable partner.'

But senior Chapman and Shelby administrations alumnus Portis Imyremeshaw Soyinka says rational policymaking and stability are halmarks of Hawu government over four administrations and that fundamentals were unlikely to change under Setemes. 'This country, our universities, our business-minded ethics, and our values all work to ensure that we consistently turn out great leaders and the smartest men in the room. Setemes is right in line with that strong legacy, and our allies and international partners can remain confident that Hawu Mumenhes will keep to its commitments and continue to be a reliable partner for global stability and prosperity,' remarked Soyinka, currently a board member at IeUkN, the Arnak-based investment bank. A recent Jackson Iny Hawu Institute poll of leading political scientists seemed to confirm Soyinka's assurances, with 84 of 100 surveyed confident Setemes would continue the Empire's naval build out, help bring the Malivia Revolution to conclusion, and sign bilateral agreements with Kazulia, Rildanor, Kalistan, Istalia, and Zardugal, all headline policies initiated under Former President Chapman.

While the jury's still out on the likeliest course for the Setemes administration, the staggering achievements of Former President Chapman and his team are in little doubt. Confirmation of Hawu Mumenhes's emerging status as a great power with successful elections to the World Congress Security Council; constitutional modernization with the passage of two constitutional amendments; one of the world's most admired and far-flung diplomacy operations with deep and strong friendships with Istalia, Kalistan, Mordusia, and Rildanor, and warm relations with Aldegar, Indrala, Kazulia, Jakania, Jelbania, Kafuristan, Lourenne, and Vorona; peaceful immigration and open-arms resettlement of millions of new Hawu citizens from Beiteynu, Likatonia, Rutania, and Talmoria; a peaceful, demoncratic transition of power between three administrations that will well serve as a model for the future and an example to free people around the world; and the official establishment of Terra's only true empire and the largest country in the world -- the literal jewel in the crown. Chapman's legacy is rivaled only by that of Former President Hermelinda Shelby, and, in the sheer scale of its ambition and its breathless expansiveness, only barely so. For his part, the man himself has shared plans to return to the private sector in hopes of boosting global knowledge about Hawu's world class economy. 'What some rating agencies' reports have made clear is that the world doesn't know enough about the Hawu Miracle and the standard-setting economy it produced,' Former President Chapman told The Scribe by phone. 'Hawu corporations are already influential, with offices and factories around the globe. But we must be more vocal when it comes to tooting our own horn and educating the world about the depth and sophistication of this economy.' The Former President said that while his efforts in promoting awareness about the Hawu economy will include some work in international media, 'it's primarily going to focus on doing what we already do best: big business, and making sure the whole world knows about it.'

Other Federationist bigwigs are expected to bunker down in the defence and foreign ministries, still bastions of neoliberal orthodoxy under Setemes, at the Palace in Nekhatw where the monarchy's policy advisory shop has seen its highest octane boost in its nearly century-long existence, and in big business where Federationist elites and their donor class can continue wielding influence outside government.

-Boipelo Zola Tewodros meryMumenhes, October 4129
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe

[CCP]

Empire's Malivia Intervention will Follow Revolutionaries' Lead, Defence Minister Tells Legislature

Transcript reveals Aqqak's plan for large ground presence in lead-from-behind strategy

AQQAK -- Minister of Defence Yacine Diara Hakim was summoned before the federal legislature to brief lawmakers on the government's plan for bringing the Malivia Revolution to a favorable end. Called Operation Taphmēi of Duka, the government's plan is named for bedrock elements in Arkhē Mumenhes and Geraja theologies. The full transcript of the Minister's testimony is below.

THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE (Mr. Hakim of Saqqad): Madame President and Members of the Gathering,

I have completed my consultations with the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs as required by the Constitution and I am now prepared to present the military plan of action.

The Malivian Revolution is a battle between the righteous and blameless against the wretched and godless. The Revolution arises out of a long-running occupation by a criminal syndicate calling itself the East Artania Corporation originating in and managed by nationals of Luthori. Many decades ago, this criminal syndicate saw instability and decline resulting from experimental and failed policies of an anarchist government and took that misfortune as an opportunity to infiltrate, pillage, occupy and enslave. The East Artania criminal syndicate preyed on the economic decline of native Malivians, the Rajutti, to steal their properties and subject them to indenture. They then looked east, and seeing political instability there sought to entice Watembo men and women with promises of gainful employment only to entrap them in indenture by vile trickery and deceit. Today, the people of Malivia have had enough of the wrongdoers and have taken to opposition in a thousand different ways: through raised voices, raised fists, and raised arms. The Plan of Action for Hawu forces and for our allies in the Emperor's Majesty is to aid the people of Malivia in their quest for victory.

Madame President, the engagement against the criminal East Artania Corporation began with an attempt by a ship under that syndicate's flag to violate the blockade enforced by the forces of the Emperor's Majesty. The Imperial Navy sank the frigate SS Trengrove while its crew attempted to conduct trade with interests on the continent of Vascania. The Imperial Armed Forces hold those crewmen in custody awaiting trial. Within the East Artania Corporation, the enforcement of the Imperial blockade was interperated as an act of war. On land, the men and women of Malivia are enforcing their own kind of blockade, protesting in city streets and mustering for combat in villages across the country.

Given the aggressive response of the East Artania Corporation and the eagerness for righteous retribution on the part of the Malivian people, President Setemes, the administration, and our international partners in the Emperor's Majesty have taken the decision that now is the time to force the conclusion of the East Artania Corporation and support the conclusion of the Revolution. This will occur in three concurrent phases.

In Phase 1, the Imperial Navy and Imperial Air Force will complete the confiscation or destruction of East Artania Corporation sea vessels whether for aggressive or commercial purposes. The men and arms currently in-theater are more than fit for purpose. After securing full control of the Malivian coast and exclusive economic zone, the Imperial forces will begin basing out of naval installations in Idhagra and Washebar. There, the Imperial Army, especially Talmorian infantrymen, will disembark and begin taking and holding those two provinces from the coast and heading inland. Our intelligence, provided in part by the lead Malivia Report author for the Terran Human Rights Council in the Kingdom of Cobura, tells us that the East Artania Corporation's infantry defense is composed of a well-trained mercenary officers corp stationed mostly at strategic executive, manufacturing, and inventory sites, and a large mostly-indentured force of Rajuttis and Watembos. Our objective at all times is avoid engagement with the Rajutti and Watembo guardsmen while quietly arresting or neutralizing the mercenary officers. To facilitate a peaceful transition of command, Imperial Army platoons will announce their arrival at each city, town, and strategic location by all available on-air signals, via the web, and with hardcopy flyers by airdrop. Our contacts and allies in the Revolutionary Forces command will identify or appoint men and women from within Revolutionary Forces and amongst Malivian guardsmen who are fit and trustworthy for field commissions. It will be these mens and womens responsibility, with the ready support of Imperia forces, to maintain order in the east until the formal transfer of power at the cessation of hostilities. Simultaneously, a more dynamic operation will be conducted in the Bhulkhandra city of Hitam directed at supporting the increasing forcefulness of protesters with the aim of fostering a genuine, if haphazard, emerging democratic governance. While this is a delicate and high-risk objective, we believe if even moderately successful, that it may serve as the hub of Malivia's post-revolutionary order.

In Phase 2, Imperial and Revolutionary officers, and engineers corps and Imperial air vessels (captained as much as possible by Revolutionary airman trained in the eastern provinces) will travel inland to the rural towns currently hosting the best-prepared of the Revolutionary Forces command. There, Imperial forces will aid in the construction of command and control centers to Revolutionary commanders' specifications. The strategic objective is to equip the Revolutionary command to direct action across the theater comprehensively and granularly, and ultimately drive home victory for their people. We expect token resistance from a small number of East Artania Corporation strategic installations and some heavily-armed Luthori planters.

Finally, in Phase 3, Talmorian infantrymen and Imperial airlifts, all under Revolutionary Forces command, will fan out across the country's civilian areas to provide total security, stability, and humanitarian aid including food, clothing, and medical attention. It is in this Phase that we expect the Hitam Populists and the Revolutionary Forces command to begin decisively taking the reins of the country, to specifically include the trial of East Artania Corporation personnel, the formal cessation of hostilities, the drafting and authorization of a Transition Constitution, and the transfer of power from military command to representative government.

Madame President, my Ministry, in cooperation with our partners in the Emperor's Majesty, is fully resourced, and equipped, and prepared to victoriously complete this mission. I formally put it to you and Members of the Gathering now, and to the Prince Regent's Royal Highness, to please approve this mission for the liberty of our Malivian brothers, for the order of Terra and the universe, and for the pleasing of the Good God.

Thank you Madame President.

Contemporary with the conflict in Malivia