Mina

[Rogue]

Wad Mabelat: Violence in the country is escalating as the military attempts to crack down on protests and rebel groups are attacking at the highest frequency in decades. The protests had been launched by a mix of ahmadist, democratic and socialist groups all angered by the military takeover just a month before scheduled elections. As the protestors ranks swelled, the military prepared to intervene as they feared that once to big the protest could endanger their newfound power. Smartly enough newly appointed President al-Hussein announced that his junta government would enact ahmadi law in the country and would appoint at least 5 Ahmadi ministers to government, a move largely seen as trying to please ahmadists and remove them from the equation. The bet worked, with a large portion of ahmadi protestors returning home in the days afterwards, opening a opportunity for government forces to intervene. At least 4000 police officers supported by military police and several regular army units launched a crackdown of the protests in the capital of Wad Mabelat and the cities of Dawijah and Tokran. The crackdown would last two days and see at least 100 protestors dead before they were dispersed, with military forces reinforcing roadblocks and further isolating the major cities in a attempt to prevent another gathering of people.

In other parts of the country, primarily the coast and the north, heavy fighting has been reported between military forces, the new PRF, Tribal militia's and a newly formed "Democratic Front for the Liberation of Mina" or DFLM. This DFLM, primarily active in the northeast, consists of a wide variety of ideologies with the common goal to depose the junta and install the 5286 constitution, which has now been suspended. DFLM forces have reportedly captured some towns in the northeast but failed to make major gains, only having limited resources. The PRF has been more succesfull, with the paramilitary having extremely well trained units and good equipment at its disposal. This has helped them in frequent hit and run attacks in recent days, with reportedly 29 soldiers dead at the hands of the PRF. Tirbal militias have seen little fighting, with tribes announcing that they will operate semi autonomously from the central junta government. President al-Hussein has already stated this not to be an option and has reportedly dispatched around 2000 men with limited armoured support to the north to reestablish control in tribal areas now protected by these militia's.

While the military has succeeded in dispersing the most immediate threat to their newfound rule the outburst of violence in the country has many in the region fearing a full blown civil conflict, with none of the current sides willing to give in to one another.

[Rogue]

Wad Mabelat: With the military ramping up efforts to combat the variety of rebel groups rising up in the country the new Junta government is also making allies within fundamentalist circles. President al-Hussein has formally proposed a set of far reaching reforms to the Transitional Governing Council that would overhaul the judicial system and make it follow Ahmadi Law. The bill would furthermore enact strict moral codes in the country and force women to wear scarves in public for the first time in decades. The People's Revolutionary Forces and the, now in exile, Baathist People's Party, have denounced the reforms as "throwing us back into the middle ages" and the PRF has already announced that it will ramp up attacks in the western coastal regions as a response. President al-Hussein stated that these reforms "mark a new era for our country and a step towards more religious harmony after decades of socialist opression."

The move is largely seen as a way for the president and his Junta to gain legitimacy amongst Ahmadi's in the country, seeking to create a bigger support base to protect their newfound power. Last month President Hussein already appointed 4 Ahmadi ministers to his government, seen as the first gesture to fundamentalists. Fighting in the country meanwhile rages on. Protests have been heavy handidly broken up and the capital of Wad Mabelat and other urban centers seem stable and quiet. In the North and West however fighting rages with increasing intensity. Especially in the north many tribes are fighting the Armed Forces verosiously and in the west the PRF has slowly been taking small strips of territory and inflicting heavy damage on infrastructure in the region. Observers estimate that nearly 18% of Minese territory is now in the hands of either the PRF, Tribal militias or the DFLM, up from 11% a month ago. At least 900 have died in the violence with thousands wounded. A refugee crisis, primarily to North Dovani and Liore, is seemingly inevitable as hundreds of thousands have left their homes to flee the increasingly violent situation.

[Rogue]

Wad Mabelat: With continued international and domestic pressure at their back the Junta of interim president al-Hussein has announced that within the next few months it will draft and ratify a new democratic constitution. The announcement also comes as fighting intensifies in all areas of the country and namely the PRF are taking large pieces of territory in the country, primarily the west. Furthermore social tension in the capital of Wad Mabelat has forced the Junta to concede some ground to outside pressure, now promising to end the transitional governing council and put in its place a formal "and democratic" government. Despite these promises many Minese are wary of the announcement, with outside observers already warning that any constitution drafted by the Junta is by definition flawed. Many fear that the Junta will try to maintain power in a variety of ways, one of which is drafting a constitution favourable to authoritarian rule.

The DFLM that primarily fights in the east and the PRF have put out a rare combined statement calling for an end to the Junta and a return to the 5288 constitution. After nearly 3 years of military rule however it seems less likely that this original constitution will be the one eventually governing the country. At least 9000 have died in the conflict between the Junta, DFLM, Tribes and PRF with at least 200.000 wounded and over a million people displaced. Many now look on eagerly to see what this announcement actually means in practice.

[Rogue]

Wad Mabelat: Aadam Samad has been elected as President of the Republic in the first election under the new constitution. The constitution, quickly drafted by the military and only minor civilian input, has established a unitary presidential republic with the President as both head of state and government. This new constitution ditches the federalism of the 5288 constitution and returns the country to unitary rule. The president is elected very 5 years using a FPTP one-round election. Parliament is to be divided into the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, making it bicameral. The Chamber of Deputies is elected simultaniously with every presidential election under a mixed-member proportional system where half of seats are elected proportionally and the other are elected in single-member constituencies. The Senate is to consist of 75 seats with 50% appointed by the President and 50% appointed by the governates. Interestingly enough the Senate is the chamber in charge of starting impeachment procedures against the president, all but ensuring no president can be impeached as 50% are appointed by the President himself. While the President holds the power to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies the presidential and parliamentary elections must take place at the same time, meaning new legislative elections also mean new presidential elections. No term limits have been specified in this new constitution.

The governates, though losing much of their autonomy, will still retain their governments and parliaments but with much less authority then under the 5288 constitution. In reality the coup 3 years ago had nullified any control that governates could actually practice. While the rebel DFLM announced that despite some concerns it would lay down weapons the PRF and several northern tribal leaders vouched to continue fighting. By them, the constitution is largely seen as a tool by the military to maintain some control. This may be further confirmed by the fact that new President Samad is a former intelligence officer with close ties to the Armed Forces. Reports of beatings, ballot stuffing and other irregularities have also eroded trust in the election as many believe the outcome to be rigged in Samad his favor. Samad, upon being declared the winner, promised to "bring all terrorists to justice" and to "reastablish state control across our country to bring back safety and stability to our people."

Another big criticism of the PRF and oppossition figures is the immense powers now given to the President, who will also lead the Armed Forces, appoint the head of the central bank and intelligence services, can issue decrees with unlimited scope (as long as it does not contradict legislation), appoints all members of cabinet, can pardon individuals and sign treaties into law. Thus the president has major influence over government, something oppossition groups fear could lead to abuse of power and continued military involvement in politics. The election, besides seeing Samad elected, also resulted in the right-wing "Ahmadi Congress" gaining a absolute majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies. With Samad himself having a right-wing agenda it is likely he will face little oppossition in parliament for his plans.


Independent Aadam Samad winning the presidential election, with the Baathists having boycotted the election

[Rogue]

Wad Mabelat: The Ministry of Defense has confirmed that it has gained presidential approval for the purchase of 30 MiG-29 and 14 SU-24 jets for the Minese Air Force. The purchase, negotiated over the last few months, will see a significant boost for the air force which had so far only been equipped with old MiG-19's and a variety of attack and transport helicopters, also of older age. President Samad had during his election campaign made the combat against the PRF one of his main focusseses, promising to defeat the Baathist alligned group. Air power was one aspect where the Minese armed forces severaly lacked capabilities and had little to no way of turning air units into valuable assets. With this new aquisition the Air Force not only gains air superiority capabilities but also significant air to ground capabilities in the form of the SU-24. This deal thus ensures that the ground forces might finally be able to be granted air support. The MiG-29's that are part of the deal will also be able to be used in a air to ground role, being multirole jets.

Despite the significance of the deal it resembles a significant investment by the Samad government, amounting to over 900 million to be paid to Trigunia. With the extremely poor state of the Minese economy this posses some problems, with the Ministry of Defense stating that it will sell off severely old equipment for scrap as well as request additional funding from the Ministry of Finance for the purchase. It is expected that the government will increase income taxes slightly as well as borrow some funds in order to fullfill the purchase. With nearly 192% of GDP in debt and a economy plagued by unemployment (24%) and high inflation (14%) it remains to be seen if this investment into military hardware is one that pays off in the future.

As part of the deal Trigunia will also provide instructors and logistical support for the next 3 years, allowing Minese pilots to train in their new jets. Local assembly lines will also be established to produce spare parts and munitions for the new to arrive jets.

[Rogue]

Wad Mabelat: Minister of Finance and Economy Luwai el-Assaf has announced a reform proposed to the Chamber of Deputies that would see significant relaxation of bussiness regulations for amongst others small bussiness owners, the manufacturing sector, the finance sector and much related to consumer goods. Previous governments, inspired by baathist thought, had nationalized large parts of the national economy in an effort to rid the economy of foreign influence. Continues internal strive and instability has now resulted in a nearly bancrupted economy as war lingers in the western portions of the country. With little resources to turn the tide the government has now embarked on a major plan to strike a better balance between the private and public economy. The plan would cut regulations in the previously mentioned sectors and will also relax restrictions on foreign investment, allowing foreign investors to invest in the national economy as long as they do not get a majority share in native Minese companies. The plan will cost around 200 million to properly implement but is expected to give the economy and especially entrepeneurs breathing room and allow possible progression for the economy. With little hope of the current economy turning favourably many Minese are now looking at these reforms with small optimism, hoping for a better life.

Another challenge for the government is their control in the country and their ability to enforce these new policies. While in most eastern and southern governates the central government has managed to establish some form of control, the western governments have been plagued by continued fighting with the PRF. In some western governates no local government is present as PRF presence has prevented elections or a proper functioning of state duties. President Samad has named the problem of waining government control as something that "needs urgent adressing", a subject that will likely also affect the succes of the overall economy and the proposed reforms.

[Auditorii]

Khidmat al-Bathi al-Hukumia
The State Broadcasting Service is an official government media source provided by the Ministry of Information and Communication.
MARCH 5348 | EMIRATE OF MINA PROCLAIMED, ENDING CORRUPTION

Wad Mabelat: Morning dawned over Wad Mabelat and the cool spring weather was interrupted by the sound of small arms fire and the sounds of explosives as the Presidential Palace was assaulted by supporters of the self-proclaimed Emir of Mina, Zaahir Salaah al-Mahdi. The government of Mina has suffered setback after setback following the relatively successful and peaceful period between 5287 and 5292, numerous scandals such as a so-called "pay for play" scandal involving companies and corporations resulted in the fall of two successive governments. The assassination of President Iyaad al-Habeeb prompted a brief armed conflict between the Armed Forces of Mina and elements of the Supreme Israic Council for the Ahmadi Liberation in Mina following a car bomb that killed the President and several members of the executive. The militia that stormed the Presidential Palace and captured it in the early morning hours called themselves the "Army of the Emir" (Majatran: jaysh al'amir) and are lead by the brother of the pretender Emir, Abdul Khaliq al-Mahdi who calls his men "Mahdist". Abdul Khaliq, an intelligence officer in the General Intelligence Directorate who was implicated in a scandal of military and intelligence officers seeking to overthrow the pro-Ahmadi government of Mina. Abdul Khaliq was arrested and only recently sprung the "secret" prison known as the "Black Fortress" (Majatran: alqaleat alsawda') after an attack by Mahdi loyalist seeking to free the brother of the pretender Emir.

Following the seizure of the Presidential Palace a number of locations throughout the capital were seized by Mahdist and eventually the convoy carrying the Emir rolled into the capital unmolested. The Emir quickly addressed the nation following the capture of the Ministry of Information and Communication's main communication studio. The Emir announced the proclamation of the Emirate of Mina with himself as the Emir and announced that long-time friend and political ally Taqi el-Baluch as the new Prime Minister of the Emirate of Mina. The Emir announced that a brand new legislature would be formed, the National Assembly (Majatran: Majlis al-Umma), which would have new strict requirements on the formation of political parties and each new political party would have to swear and oath to the protection of the new Constitution of the Emirate of Mina and swear to not take action against the state.

Zaahir Salaah al-Mahdi who has amassed a following following a series of videos and statements issued on Truth! (Majatran: haqiqatun!) a social media platform that is popular in the Majatran world. The self-proclaimed Emir discussed his family lineage and provided a family tree that dates back to the founding of Mina as a colony of the Emirate of Great Quanzar and the initial group of nobles dispatched by the Emirate to serve as the leadership of the colony. While the al-Mahdi family served at the pleasure of the Emirate of Great Quanzar eventually Mina broke away from their colonial "overlords" and became an independent nation, the al-Mahdi family, now the "House of al-Mahdi", became heavily invested in overland trade with fellow East Dovani nations and became close associates of the nascent armed forces that formed to protect the new country of Mina. The al-Mahdi family has played a popular role as benefactors to various political movements, cementing themselves as political power brokers and despite their sometimes anti-monarchist rhetoric, have found themselves involved with the Majatran Socialist Ba'athist Party - Mina Region. While the Ba'athist are likely to sponsor a monarch, it is likely that should a revolution or civil war proceed, the Emir will likely aim to form his own political party of supporters.

[Auditorii]

Khidmat al-Bathi al-Hukumia
The State Broadcasting Service is an official government media source provided by the Ministry of Information and Communication.
MAY 5348 | MAHDIST CAPTURE LARGEST SHARE IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Wad Mabelat: The contest for 300 seats in the first National Assembly of the Emirate of Mina saw the capture of 113 seats by the Mahdist, loyalist to the House of al-Mahdi and followers of the new Emir of Mina. The second largest share of the seats in the National Assembly are dominated by the newly formed Popular Action Bloc which include the Ba'athist, the Minan Communist Party and the Dovani Liberation Front. The third largest component are members of the Ahmadi Liberation Party who have declared outright that they will adhere to the democratic process but do not recognize the authority or legitimacy of the Emir and will work to "remove" the Emir from power. This has caused serious friction following the opening ceremony of the National Assembly where Speaker of the National Assembly, Abdus Salam el-Abdalla (Mahdist), was sworn in. Elected deputies of the Ahmadi Liberation Party hoisted flags from the rafters of the interim National Assembly chamber and shouted out chants against the Emir and were quickly subdued by members of the Republican Guard who were on stand-by to provide security due the fact that the Emir was on site to watch the proceedings of the first National Assembly. Several members of the Ahmadi Liberation Party were arrested and according to the Ministry of Justice and Prisons, nothing has been released further regarding the future of the proceedings against them.

May, 5348 National Assembly elections and composition.
Mahdist - 137 seats
Popular Action Bloc - 93 seats
Ahmadi Liberation Party - 70 seats

Following the contentious first session of the National Assembly the Emir presented his choices for the Council of Ministers. The most prominent being the brother of the new Emir, Abdul Khaliq al-Mahdi who will serve as a First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense; the Secretary-General of the Regional Command of the Ba'athist, Kamaaluddeen el-Hashemi who will serve as the First Deputy Prime Minister; Thaamir al-Madhi, the cousin of the new Emir will serve as the Minister of Justice and Prisons; Khaalid al-Mahdi, a the middle brother of the Emir will serve as the Director of the General Intelligence Directorate and the youngest brother of the Emir, Bakar Sayyif al-Mahdi will serve as the Commander of the Republican Guard. The Emir also agreed to raise several other officials to the status of minister in order to include them in regular meetings of the government according to the State Broadcasting Service.

Prime Minister - Taqi el-Baluch (Mahdist)
First Deputy Prime Minister - Kamaaluddeen el-Hashemi (Ba'athist)
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense - Abdul Khaliq al-Mahdi (Mahdist)
Ministry of Finance and Economy - Junaid al-Harroun
Ministry of Religious and Ethnic Affairs - Qais al-Hamid
Ministry of the Interior - Amru el-Alli
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade - Mutlaq el-Sulaiman
Ministry of Justice and Prisons - Thaamir al-Mahdi
Ministry of Social Welfare and Public Health - Maazin el-Karam
Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development - Abdur Razzaaq el-Nazar
Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment - Ashqar al-Salama
Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs - Ziyaad el-Nasr
Ministry of Infrastructure - Abdul Wahaab al-Moradi
Ministry of Information and Communication - Katheer el-Shafi
Ministry of Electoral Affairs and Public Cohesion - Mawdood al-Yousuf
Speaker of the National Assembly - Abdus Salam el-Abdalla
Director of the General Intelligence Directorate - Khaalid al-Mahdi
Commander of the Republican Guard - General Bakar Sayyif al-Mahdi

[Auditorii]

al-Mina al-Yawmi
Mina Today is a national newspaper dedicated to bringing daily news from Mina
Emir forms Royal Development Authority and Security Council
June, 5348

Wad Mabelat - Emir Zaahir Salaah al-Mahdi announced the formation of two new very powerful "organs" of the new Emirati government. The first being the formation of the Royal Development Authority, a sovereign wealth fund aimed to generating successful investments for the the new Emirate of Mina. The Emir announced that Sadoon el-Younis would become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Development Authority and would be joined by Raamiz al-El-Sayed as the Managing Director of the RDA. Representatives from the United Press Association questioned the spokesman for the Emir regarding the initial funding of the RDA and the spokesman did not provide concrete numbers, the spokesman did state that the Emir had contributed "significant" personal wealth to the RDA and would utilize it to benefit the people of MIna economically. Representatives from the Royal Development Authority announced that they would be purchasing a 35% stake in the failing Dovani Ahmadi Bank, an Ahmadi-based financial institution that is focused on adhering to Ahmadi financial rules and regulations. In the announcement of the investment the Dovani Ahmadi Bank announced that they would be moving their headquarters from Statrica to Mina as a component of the investment. Ameer el-Haq, the CEO of the Dovani Ahmadi Bank, welcomed the investment and admitted that in recent years the Dovani Ahmadi Bank had struggled to attract new sources of capital and income. The Emir himself is already a stakeholder according to financial filings with the International Development and Stability Bank and the International Sovereign Wealth Fund Group.

The second is the foundation of the Security Council of Mina, an advisory body of intelligence, security and military officials that will serve as the principal advisor to the Emir, the Prime Minister and other government officials in Mina. The Emir will serve as the Chairman of the Security Council, the Prime Minister as the Deputy Chairman and an appointed Secretary who will oversee the operations and responsibilities of the Security Council. It will include permanent members and associate members. According to Sirajuddeen al-Sadek, the inaugural Secretary of the Security Council, the status of permanent members and associate members relates to the attendance at meetings. He noted that the Minister of Defense, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Finance, Chief of the General Staff, Commander of the Republican Guard and the Director of the General Intelligence Directorate all received "Permanent Member" status in his briefing on the State Broadcasting Service.

Critics of the regime were optimistic at the alleged transparency displayed by the new government, including the formal announcement being televised on the State Broadcasting Service. The Minister of Information and Communication Katheer el-Shafi has been directed by the Emir to work tirelessly to ensure that every Minan has a access to the internet, the radio or television to ensure that the State Broadcasting Service can reach them. Nizaar al-Mohiuddin, a human rights organizer in Mina was interviewed by Mina Today and he spoke of an eerie calm that has descended on the streets of Wad Mabelat in the past few weeks as protests and rallies, both for and against the new Emir have dissipated. "Its almost as if life has returned to normal and only months ago were protesting the end of the Majatran Republic. Here we are and somehow things feel normal, almost safe." al-Mohiuddin remains critical of the regime but hoped that the Emir would bring a new era of stability to the country.

[Auditorii]

Akhbar al-Jumhuria - Republic News
Mina's only opposition newspaper.
OCTOBER 5348 | Forces from the Republican Guard and Royal Minan Army stage in al-Managil and Er Rabat

Southern Mina - Sources within the Republican Guard and the Royal Minan Army have disclosed that elements of the 1st Republican Guard Brigade, the 1st Armored Brigade and the 1st Infantry Brigade have taken up positions in al-Managil and Er Rabat, the two governorates closest to the disputed, occupied territory of Nefa. Reporters with Republic News filed formal questions with the Security Council, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Information and Communications but as of the filing of this story, have received no response. Since the foundation of the Emirate in March of 5348 the Minister of Defense, and brother to the Emir, Abdul Khaliq al-Mahdi has been working closely with General Muammar al-Dajani, the Chief of the Genreal Staff, to reform key forces within the Armed Forces of Mina. While the focus has been on rebuilding training and recruitment centers of the armed forces, the Republican Guard has been reforming underneath the watchful gaze of its new commander, General Bakar Sayyif al-Mahdi. The youngest brother of the Emir has been called the "Lion of Mina" for his tenacious efforts in ensuring that his brother achieved the throne of the Emirate and was victorious in the March Revolution that overthrew the old Majatran Republic of Mina. While the focus has been largely on the older brother, Abdul Khaliq al-Mahdi, the youngest brother has quietly formed the Republican Guard into a loyal dedicated fighting force that is fiercely loyal to the Emir and the al-Mahdi family. In agreement with the Ministry of Defense the 1st Republican Guard Brigade became rapidly equipped and uniquely funded on direct orders of the Emir.

The 1st Republican Guard Brigade consists of a brigade headquarters, 2 armored battalions and 4 mechanized infantry regiments. It boasts an impressive 88 al-Khalid II main battle tanks, 44 armored recon vehicles and other support vehicles and equipment. Its 4 infantry battalions bring a total of 2,600 soldiers and are equipped with armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and other utility vehicles. It is considered to be one of the most capable fighting forces and has, according to sources, been purged of elements "...not wholly loyal to to the Emir and the al-Mahdi family...". The 1st Armored Brigade and the 1st Infantry Brigade are similarly outfitted and have a bulk of the equipment available to the Armed Forces of Mina. In addition, sources have reported that elements of the 17 Squadron (equipped with 10 MiG-29 multirole fighters) and the 90 Squadron (equipped with 7 Su-24 ground attack aircraft) have been moved into RMAF Umm Kedfa and RMAF Mashir respectively, these two air bases have been considered to be long neglected and abandoned due to the inability or unwillingness of the Minan government to fight against the Kitemban occupation in Nefa. Experts from Republic News, including a now former Royal Minan Air Force pilot, doubt the ability of current Minan pilots to fly the aircraft which have been moved. "It has been reported to me through friends that many of the aircraft were towed to the location and only a handful of them were flown to the location." Images shared on Truth! (Majatran: haqiqatun!) have been making rounds which show a military convoy towing several covered aircraft to RAMF Umm Kedfa and RMAF Mashir.

It appears that either that the Emir is preparing to attempt to invade Nefa and retake it for Mina or is looking to posture towards the Kitemban Union.