12 November Revolution (Kafuristan)

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Kafuri Protests: Twenty killed in 'Day of Revolt'

November 12, 3262

At least twenty people are reported to have been killed during a day of rare anti-government protests in Kafuristan. In Lehonti, where the biggest rallies were held, state TV said five policeman had died in clashes. Fifteen protesters died in in the cities of Corom and Ahaz, doctors there said.

In central Lehonti, police starting using tear gas early on Wednesday in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Thousands of demonstrators remained in the city centre around Martyre Square late into the night, vowing to camp out overnight. There were appeals on social media for food and blankets for those staying put.

But police moved in at 0100 local time, using tear gas and driving protesters into nearby streets, with reports that some people were beaten by police.
As dawn neared, Martyre Square was reported to be empty of demonstrators, with cleaners removing rocks and litter as police looked on.



Activists had called for a "day of revolt" in a web message. Protests are uncommon in Kafuristan, which has been ruled by a military junta since 3172 now lead by General Zain ibn Mohammed al-Sultan, tolerating little dissent. Police were taken aback by the anger of the crowd and let protesters make their way to the parliament building. There police regrouped in full riot gear with tear gas and water cannon and temporarily drove the crowd back. However, protesters threw stones and stood their ground, pushing the police back until they were on the run. Protests also broke out in other areas, including Corom, Ahaz and Migron. In Ahaz, witnesses said thousands joined the protests, some chanting: "Revolution, revolution, like a volcano, against al-Sultan the coward and his accomplices."

In Lehonti's Martyre Square, demonstrators attacked a police water cannon vehicle, opening the driver's door and ordering the man out of the vehicle. Officers beat back protesters with batons as they tried to break the police cordons to join the main demonstration.



A Lehonti resident told a reporter of the International Airwaves Network that by Tuesday night some protesters were saying they wouldn't give up until General al-Sultan had gone. "People are behaving as if they are ready to die," he said. "The atmosphere is very tense, it feels like a revolution. I see people who are determined, people who have nothing to lose, people who want a better future."

Reports said protesters had earlier gathered outside the Supreme Court holding large signs that read: "Democracy is the solution." Some chants referred to General al-Sultans son Hamad, who some analysts believe is being groomed as his father's successor. "Hamad, tell your father the Kafuri People hate you," they shouted. The organisers rallied support saying the protest would focus on torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment, calling it "the beginning of the end".

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Thousands protest across Kafuristan in 'Day of Anger'

November 13, 3262

Thousands took to the streets on Tuesday in Lehonti and other cities throughout Kafuristan in massive popular protests against worsening economic conditions and police brutality and to call for political reform. Security didn’t engage with protestors early in the day, but used teargas, force and water cannons to disperse them after 3 pm when demonstrations reached the Parliament building in downtown Lehonti. By 4 pm, thousands of protestors were reportedly seen on the streets in the city of Corom, with police unable to cordon them off, according to bloggers and local activists.



The number of protestors that gathered at different meeting points around Lehonti midday grew in numbers to reach thousands, with different demonstrations joining forces. The city of Ahaz got an early start with locals blocking the road to al-Nasri international Airport and Bedouins in the town of Zerin blocked the main road with cars and burnt tires. In Lehonti, hundreds of protestors broke security cordons and marched from Naqqa Street towards Martyre Square and were joined by passersby — including families with their children — as security forces failed to control the crowds.

The crowd went through different routes that took them to Qasr El-Hammu Bridge, the state TV building on the al-Majali Boulevard and Abbata to finally end up at the central Martyre Square. Hundreds of protestors marched towards Nasri al-Sistan Street to join thousands of others gathering in front of Mahmoud Mustafar Mosque chanting "Leave, leave." The protest then marched towards through Martyre Street to join thousands that ended up in the heart of Kafuristan’s capital.


Tens of thousands gathered at Lehonti's Martyre Square.

By 4:30 pm users reported that access to social media sites was blocked. Protestors and journalists using their telephones to tweet the events they witnessed in Martyre Square, were also unable to do so. Organizers of the protest said that their demands include raising the minimum wage, ending emergency law, the impeachment of the minister of interior and limiting the influence of the ruling generals.

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Fresh protests erupt in Kafuristan

November 14, 3262

Fresh protests have erupted in cities across Kafuristan, with demonstrators demanding an end to General Zain ibn Mohammed al-Sultan's reign. Millions of people gather at mosques across Lehonti for Friday prayers, providing organisers with a huge number of people already out on the streets to tap into. Millions took to the streets across the country following Friday midday prayers. State TV said a curfew will be imposed from 6pm to 7am local time.

Kafuri military vehicles were sighted on the streets of Lehonti on Friday after a day of violent clashes between police and protesters demanding an end to al-Sultan's rule.
Protesters had previously chanted slogans calling for the army to support them, complaining of police violence during clashes on Friday in which security forces fired teargas and rubber bullets.



Earlier, clashes between protesters and police erupted outside a mosque in Lehonti. Protesters reportedly threw stones and dirt at the police after security forces confronted them. They held up posters saying "No to dictatorship" and stamped on posters of al-Sultan.

Journalists reporting from the Majatran Sea port city of Ahaz, said protesters streamed out of mosques shortly after prayers to chant slogans against al-Sultan. Police responded immediately, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. Ahaz is a stronghold of the Abadi Brotherhood, Kafuristan's technically banned but largest political opposition group, but reporters said the crowds in the city predominantly consisted of "ordinary citizens". "This is the same mosque where protests were held against police brutality in June after a 20-year-old man was beaten to death by police," a reporter said. "It’s very symbolic that the current protests are taking place at the same place all over again." Protests were also reported in the cities of Haven City, Boaz, Zerin and Kumen, witnesses said.



Friday marked the fourth consecutive day of protests in Kafuristan against the 24 year rule of General al-Sultan. Although Kafuristan is officially ruled by Gran Emir Husayn I, most people view al-Sultan, the Head of Government of Kafuristan and the chairman of the Supreme Military Council, as the defacto leader of Kafuristan.

The countrywide violence has so far left sixty-seven people dead and hundreds more wounded. In response, the government has promised to crack down on demonstrations and arrest those participating in them. It has blocked internet, mobile phone and SMS services in order to disrupt the planned demonstrations.
Before Kafuristan shut down internet access on Thursday night, activists were posting and exchanging messages using social networking services, listing more than 30 mosques and churches where protesters were to organise on Friday.



"Kafuristan's Muslims and Christians will go out to fight against corruption, unemployment and oppression and absence of freedom," a page with more than 70,000 signatories said. The International Airwaves Network news agency reported that an elite special counterterrorism force had been deployed at strategic points around Lehonti, and Kafuristan's interior ministry warned of "decisive measures". Mehmet ibn Yaccub al-Wazir, the secretary-general of the ruling Hizb al-Qawmi (Nationalist Party), told reporters on Thursday: "We hope that tomorrow's Friday prayers and its rituals happen in a quiet way that upholds the value of such rituals ... and that no one jeopardises the safety of citizens or subjects them to something they do not want."

On Thursday, protesters hurled petrol bombs at a fire station in Corom, setting it ablaze. They tried but failed to set fire to a local office of the ruling Nationalist Party. At another rally near the outskirts of Lehonti, police used tear gas to break up hundreds of protesters late at night. Lehonti, normally vibrant on a Thursday night ahead of the weekend, was largely deserted, with shops and restaurants shut. In the city of Zerin, hundreds of protesters clashed with police who used tear gas and batons to disperse them.

"This is a revolution," one 16-year-old protester said in Corom . "Every day we're coming back here." "The intensity continues to increase," said a journalist reporting from Corom. "There have been fierce clashes with rubber-coated steel bullets being fired by the riot police as well as tear gas."

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General al-Sultan refuses to step down, stoking revolt’s fury and resolve

November 15, 3262

General al-Sultan, the Kafuri Head of Government, told the Kafuri people on today that he would delegate authority, but that he would not resign, enraging hundreds of thousands gathered to hail his departure and setting in motion a volatile new stage in the nearly week long uprising. The declaration by General al-Sultan that he would remain chairman of the Supreme Military Council and as Head of Government appeared to signal a dangerous escalation in one of the largest popular revolts in Kafuristan’s history, and some protesters warned that the rallies, which have been violent, might give way to more violence.

The 20-minute speech itself underlined a seemingly unbridgeable gap between rulers and ruled in Kafuristan: General al-Sultan, in paternalistic tones, talked in great detail about changes he planned to make to Kafuristan’s autocratic Constitution, while crowds in Martyre Square, with bewilderment and anger, demanded that he step down. General al-Sultan seemed oblivious. “It’s not about me,” he said in his address. When he was done, crowds in Lehonti waved the bottoms of their shoes in the air, a gesture intended to convey disgust, and shouted, “Leave! Leave!”



The speech came after a tumultuous day of dramatic gestures and fevered speculation in which the newly appointed leader of the ruling Nationalist Party said General al-Sultan had agreed to step down, and the military issued a communiqué in which it declared it was intervening to safeguard the country, language some read as signaling a possible coup d’état.

al-Sultan echoed the contention of officials in past days that foreigners might be behind the uprising, but he cited no evidence to support that allegation. “We will not accept or listen to any foreign interventions or dictations,” he said. For hours before al-Sultans’s speech, jubilant crowds, prematurely celebrating their victory on Martyre Square, the main staging point of the protests in Lehonti, positioned themselves next to large speakers for what they assumed was a resignation speech. Men passed out free packages of dates. Protesters parted only for lines of teenagers chanting: “He’s going to go. We’re not going to go.”



At about 10:45, the crowd quieted as al-Sultan started his speech, which was transmitted via a tiny radio that someone held up to a microphone. As it wore on, the muttering began. “Donkey,” someone said. Soon, angry chants echoed through the square. People gathered in groups, confused, enraged and faced with al-Sultan’s plea to endorse his vision of gradual reform. Some said his speech was intended to divide the protesters, by peeling off those who thought he had gone far enough. Others said it reflected the isolation of a leader they had come to detest.

“al-Sultan didn’t believe us until now, but we will make him believe tomorrow,” said Amhad Usman, 51, an accountant who joined protesters in the square. By midnight, about 3,000 protesters made their way from the square to the National Broadcasting Building, which protesters loathe for propaganda that has cast them as troublemakers. The building was barricaded with barbed wire, tanks and armored vehicles. Many protesters said they planned to sleep there, in yet another move to broaden their protests that have so far focused on Martyre Square and the nearby Parliament building. Some protesters also began gathering outside the Royal Palace. “We must stop these liars,” said Azraf Zawari, a 36-year-old engineer, who had joined the crowd. “Television must reflect the real power of the revolution.”



For days, the protests in Martyre Square have gathered momentum, despite the government’s attempts to suggest that the city was returning to normalcy. In the square, tents have multiplied, as the protests themselves have exalted the resonant symbols of sacrifice. Pictures of those killed adorn tents, some inscribed with notes from passersby. “They are heroes,” said Gamal Shaaban, a 39-year-old government employee who scrawled on one of the pictures, “You are the true people.” “This government has no legitimacy left,” he said. “It’s lost it. It’s now the legitimacy of the people and the revolution.”

Along with the protests, labor strikes have flared across Kafuristan, organized by workers at post offices, telecommunications centers, textile factories and cement plants. Clashes have occurred in distant parts of the country — from Ahaz to Zerin, a city along the Majatran Sea, which provides Kafuristan with crucial earnings.

Organizers have said demonstrators plan to rally at six sites throughout the capital tomorrow, then converge not only on Martyre Square as in previous days, but also on Parliament and the television building. While organizers have said tomorrow as rallies may be some of the biggest protests yet, they spoke in darker tones about what they may represent now, given what many view as the determination of al-Sultan to stay in office, whatever the numbers. “He set the country on fire,” one of the organizers. “No one can control the violence tomorrow. Tomorrow I think a lot of people will be killed.”



The anger was fueled in good part by expectations that al-Sultan would be making his last address to the nation. For much of the day, people traded rumors about where he might be preparing to go to — Hulstria and Dorvik were two rumored destinations — and then by a cascade of official statements suggesting that might be the case. Gen. Mus'ad Zaman appeared in Martyre Square to tell protesters that “all your demands will be met today,” witnesses said, words that were quickly read by crowds around him to mean that al-Sultan was on the way out. A short time later, the military, still seen as potentially decisive in the conflict, announced that it was taking action in what sounded to many people like a coup.

“In affirmation and support for the legitimate demands of the people, the Supreme Military Council convened today, 15 November 3262, to consider developments to date,” an army spokesman declared on state television, in what was described as communiqué No. 1 of the army command, “and decided to remain in continuous session to consider what procedures and measures that may be taken to protect the nation, and the achievements and aspirations of the great people of Kafuristan.”

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Grand Emir calls for end to violence as deathtoll rises to over 650

November 16, 3262

In a rare public address, Grand Emir Husayn I called for an end to the deadly protests that has engulfed Kafuristan. The protest, entering its fourth day, has been getting more and more violent. The deathtoll from clashes between protesters and security forces has risen to over 650 and left more then 10.000 people injured.

"I talk to you during critical times that are testing Kauristan and its people which could sweep them into the unknown. The country is passing through difficult times and tough experiences which began with noble youths and citizens who practise their rights to peaceful demonstrations and protests, expressing their concerns and aspirations but they were quickly exploited by those who sought to spread chaos and violence, confrontation and to violate the constitutional legitimacy and to attack it.

Those protests were transformed from a noble and civilised phenomenon of practising freedom of expression to unfortunate clashes, mobilised and controlled by political forces that wanted to escalate and worsen the situation. They targeted the nation's security and stability through acts of provocation theft and looting and setting fires and blocking roads and attacking vital installations and public and private properties and storming some diplomatic missions.

We are living together painful days and the most painful thing is the fear that affected the huge majority of Kafuri's and caused concern and anxiety over what tomorrow could bring them and their families and the future of their country.

The events of the last few days require us all as a people and as a leadership to chose between chaos and stability and to set in front of us new circumstances and a new reality in Kafuristan which our people and armed forces must work with wisely and in the interest of Kafuristan and it's citizens.

Dear brothers and citizens, I took the initiative of forming a new government with new priorities and duties that respond to the demand of our youth and their mission. I entrusted my brother, Emir Abdullah, with the task of holding dialogue with all the political forces and factions about all the issues that have been raised concerning political and democratic reform and the constitutional and legislative amendments required to realise these legitimate demands and to restore law and order but there are some political forces who have refused this call to dialogue, sticking to their particular agendas without concern for the current delicate circumstances of our beloved nation and its people

In light of this refusal to the call for dialogue and this is a call which remains standing, I direct my speech today directly to the people, the old and young, peasants and workers, and all Kafuri men and women in the countryside and city over the whole country.

My primary responsibility now is security and independence of the nation to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in circumstances that protect Kafuristan and its people. I charge the police apparatus to carry out its duty in serving the people, protecting the citizens with integrity and honour with complete respect for their rights, freedom and dignity.

I also demand the judicial and supervisory authorities to take immediately the necessary measures to continue pursuing outlaws and to investigate those who caused the security disarray and those who undertook acts of theft, looting and setting fires and terrorising citizens.

I ask Akeem to help me to honour this pledge to complete my vocation to Kafuristan and its people in what satisfies Akeem, the nation and its people.

Dear citizens, Kafuristan will emerge from these current circumstances stronger, more confident and unified and stable. And our people will emerge with more awareness of how to achieve reconciliation and be more determined not to undermine its future and destiny.

The nation remains. Visitors come and go but ancient Kafuristan will remain eternal, its banner and safekeeping will pass from one generation to the next. It is up to us to ensure this in pride and dignity."

Even during the live televised speech street battles between protestors and security forces where still raging on. Protestors in the cities of Corom and Ahaz set fire to police stations and local party buildings of the ruling Nationalist Party. Reports from other cities say security forces are running low on rubber bullets and teargas.

So far it seems that the situation in Kafuristan is getting worse. Neither side looks like they are going to give in. One demonstator said that the call for an end to the violence was "to little to late" and that the protests would continue until "the corrupt thieves had been removed from power".

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Kafuri protesters take control of Ahaz

November 17, 3262

Protesters opposed to General al-Sultan's rule, reportedly assisted by defecting security forces, have taken control of the country's second largest city, Ahaz. The movement to unseat the aging General, 78, also spread to Helem, the holiest city in the Abadi faith, for the first time amid unconfirmed reports the regime has hired scores of foreign mercenaries to violently put down the protests on its behalf.

Gunfire crackled in the streets of Helem last night, with clashes erupting in the city's main Square of the Faithfull. Witnesses reported snipers opening fire on crowds trying to seize the area and supporters of the regime speeding through in vehicles, shooting and running over protesters. The office of two state-run satellite news channels were taken over by protesters, who set other government buildings ablaze before dawn, including the local office of the ruling Nationalist Party and police stations, witnesses said.

Kafuristan's capitol, Lehonti, was shut down yesterday and the streets empty, with schools, government offices and most shops closed. A few bakeries managed to serve residents who had hunkered down in their houses, an anonymous lawyer told reporters. By late afternoon, a fire was raging at the Majlis al-Dawla (Council of State). The pro-government news web site RKP said flames were seen leaping from the building, and that the headquarters of the country's Olympics committee was also on fire.

In Ahaz, protesters were in control of the streets yesterday and swarmed over the main security headquarters, looting weapons, after bloody clashes the night before that killed at least 90 people, according to a doctor at the main hospital who asked to be remain unidentified. Cars honked their horns in celebration and protesters in the streets chanted "Long live Kafuristan".

The airport of Ahaz was closed, according to an airport official. A flight from Badara trying to land in Ahaz to evacuate Badaran citizens yesterday was turned away after being told by ground control to circle over the airport then to return to Bier Qassem.

Ahaz has seen a cycle of bloody clashes over the past week, with funerals of slain protesters turning into new protests where more protesters are killed. After funerals yesterday, protesters fanned out, burning government buildings and police stations and besieging the large compound known as the Hazzima, the city's main security headquarters.

Security forces battled back, at times using heavy-caliber machine guns and anti-aircraft guns, according to residents. One witness said she saw bodies torn apart and that makeshift clinics were set up in the streets to treat the wounded. In some cases, army units reportedly sided with protesters against security forces and pro-government militias.

Inside the Hazzima compound, protesters found the bodies of 11 uniformed security officers who had been handcuffed and shot in the head, then set on fire, said the doctor. He was told by protesters that the 11 had been executed by fellow security forces for refusing to attack protesters, although this could not be confirmed

Uncomfirmed sources said Zerin, considered a government stronghold, had also fallen to demonstrators after army units defected, but residents in the city said the security forces were still in control there. Witnesses also said police had fled the city of Kumen, which has since sunk into chaos.

General al-Khader, the Minister of Defence, appeared on state television on last night to warn of civil war in Kafuristan if the protests continue. "The armed forces are still loyal to the Government. Tens of thousands are heading to Lehonti to support us. We will fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet," he said, promising "historic" reforms if the protests stopped.

In another sign of the deep divisions emerging within the regime, Admiral al-Karimi, the justice minister, has resigned over "the excessive use of violence against government protesters", although the report could not be independently confirmed. In Badara, Kafuristan's envoy to the Organization of Majatran States said he had resigned to "join the revolution".

Kafuristan's ambassador to Dundorf also quit, as did a lower-level diplomat in Dorvik, International Airwaves Network reported . The satellite channel, which has accused Kafuristan's intelligence services yesterday of jamming its broadcasts in the country, also reported that Kafuristan has stopped output at its oilfields in O'mer and Jerze'har, the most prolific oil provinces in Kafuristan, due to strikes by workers.

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Kafuri forces shoot protesters
Dozens reported dead as tens of thousands of Kafuri's take to the streets calling for an end to al-Sultan's rule.

November 21, 3262

Tens of thousands of protesters across Kafuristan focused their attention on the capital on Friday afternoon, following the midday prayer. As demonstrators in Lehonti took to the street, security forces loyal to General al-Sultan, the Kafuri Head of Government, reportedly began firing on them. At least 44 had been killed, according to a local anti-government news agency. There was heavy gun fire in various Lehonti districts including the Government District, which houses much of Kafuristan's ministries and other major government buildings.

"The security forces fired indiscriminately on the demonstrators," said a resident of one of the capital's eastern suburbs that has seen previous clashes between opponents of the regime and its remaining loyalists. "The streets are filled with dead bodies," the resident said. The protests come a day after al-Sultan spoke on state television, accusing the AAPK, an Abadi fundamentalist group, for fermenting the uprising and drugging and brainwashing the country's youth.

The death toll since violence began remains unclear, though on Thursday an unidentyfied foreign official said it could be as high as 2,000 people killed since the uprising started nine days ago.

Violence flared up even before the Friday sermons were over, according to a source in Lehonti. "People are rushing out of mosques even before Friday prayers are finished because the state-written sermons were not acceptable, and made them even more angry," the source said. Kafuri state television aired one such sermon on Friday, in an apparent warning to protesters. "As the Prophet said, if you dislike your ruler or his behaviour, you should not raise your sword against him, but be patient, for those who disobey the rulers will die as infidels," the speaker told his congregation in Lehonti.

Demonstrators in the eastern regions of O'mer and Jerze'har, two regions believed to be largely free from al-Sultan's control , held protests in support for the demonstrations in the capital. "Friday prayer in Ahaz have seen thousands and thousands on the streets. All the banners are for the benefit of the capital, saying; 'We're with you, Lehonti.'" a foreign journalist reported.

In the town of Zerin, protesters held banners with the messages including "We are one Tribe called Kafuristan, our only capital is Lehonti, we want freedom of speech".

A foreign correspondent, who cannot be named for security reasons, reported on Friday that army commanders in the east who had renounced al-Sultan's leadership had told her that military commanders in the country's west, which al-Sultan still largely maintains control over, were beginning to turn against him. They warned, however, that the Hasna Brigade, an army special forces brigade that is loyal to the regime of al-Sultan and is equipped with sophisticated weaponry, is currently still fighting anti-government forces.

On Friday morning, witnesses reported that the town of Neas, in the western province of Abi'nadi near the border with Kalopia, was abandoned by security forces and completely in the hands of anti-Government protesters. Checkpoints in the country's west on roads leading to the Kalopian border, however, were still being controlled by Government loyalists. In the east, similar checkpoints were manned by anti-Government forces, who had set up a "humanitarian aid corridor" as well as a communications corridor to the Solentian border, sources reported.

Thousands massed in Neas's Martyr's Square after the attack, calling on al-Sultan to leave office, and on Friday morning, explosions were heard in the city. Witnesses say pro-Government forces were blowing up arms caches, in order to prevent anti-government forces from acquiring those weapons. Clashes were also reported in the city of Shelem, where witnesses said a pro-Government army brigade attacked the city's airport with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. They told that pro-democracy protesters had managed to fight off that attack. "Revolutionaries have driven out the security forces," they said, adding that "heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns" had been used against them.

Mohamed Aqqabi, a resident of Shelem, said calm had returned to the city after the "fierce battle" near the airport. "The people's spirits here are high, they are celebrating and chanting 'Akeem is Greatest'," he told reporters. Another witness warned, however, that protesters in Shelem felt "isolated" as they were surrounded by nearby towns still loyal to the regime of al-Sultan.

Protesters and air force personnel who have renounced al-Sultan's leadership also overwhelmed a nearby military base where Government loyalists were taking refuge, according to a medical official at the base. They disabled air force fighter jets at the base so that they could not be used against protesters. Soldiers helped anti-Government protesters take the oil terminal in the city of Migron, according to locals. Most of the oil refineries in the western part of Kafuristan have halted their operations and most staff has left, according to a source in the company

Pro-democracy protesters appear to remain in control of much of the country's eastern provinces, including Ahaz, the country's second largest city. They also say they are in control of the western cities of Corom and Shelem. Kafuri army forces in many cities in the country's east say that they stand with the anti-government forces against al-Sultan. Pro-democracy protesters say they have established committees to manage the affairs of the cities they are in control of. Defected army commanders had told that there were "cracks appearing in the whole system that the regime have put in place and their whole grip in power is melting away by the hour". Reports came in that pro-democracy protesters in the east had overrun military barracks and now had access to heavy weaponry. Kafuristan has been in the grip of turmoil since anti-Government protests began on November 12.