Noumonde

[RedReaper]

Federal Troops Invade Via New Alduria Opening Up Second Front

[Aquinas]

August 4460

***RENIVOHITRA SURRENDERS***

Renivohitra, Noumonde's second largest city, based in the eastern part of the country, has surrendered to advancing Federation troops. Pierre-Louis Guillaume, the city's military governor, commented he "could not bear to see any more Canrillaise blood being shed today".

A number of political prisoners, including former Alliance chairman Masoandro Androkae, are believed to have been released. There are rumours that the Federation may offer Androkae and other Malgy political leaders a role in the administration of the city.

[Aquinas]

September 4460

***NOUMONDE SURRENDERS, BLANCHARD DEAD***



A dispatch has been sent from King Norbert to the Canrillaise Federation and Valruzia, offering the unconditional surrender of the Noumon government.

This follows an earlier incident, reported less than 20 minutes ago, where General Remy Blanchard was shot dead by his own senior officers during a meeting in his bunker under Government House.

One of the officers present during the incident has told the media "the mad old man wanted to go down fighting and defend Nouville to the last man, which we simply could not tolerate, since we have no chance of winning and it would have been absolute madness - a massively wasteful loss of human life".

There are mixed reports surrounding the incident. Some say that King Norbert, who has long resented the way General Blanchard in effect seized political control of Noumonde from him, had encouraged the officers to execute their Prime Minister and Chief of Staff. Other reports claim the officers had been in treasonable contact with the Federation and Valruzia, and had been offered clemency if they could manage to get Blanchard out of the way and bring the war to an early end.

[Aquinas]

September 4460

Malgy Liberation Front requests Esinsindu occupation zone

With Canrillaise Federation and Valruzian troops moving in to fully assume control of the country, the Malgy Liberation Front has issued a statement arguing "it would be insensitive and ill-advised to entirely militarily occupy a black Esinsindu (OOC: African) country like Noumonde with white, Seleyan troops" and asking the coalition to invite Esinsindu powers, like Cobura, Hawu Mumenhes and Talmoria, to administer at least one of the occupation zones.

Such a move would almost inevitably infuriate much of Noumonde's Canrillaise population, who have long feared what they call "Esinsindu domination".

[Rogue]

Valruzia to pull back all military assets from Noumonde

[Aquinas]

Blanchard supporters demand state funeral



Supporters of General Blanchard, led by the outgoing Defence Minister, Count Henri Beaumanoir, are calling for their now-deceased leader to be given a full state funeral, with full military honours, and with dignitaries invited from all over the world. They are also calling for 6th September, the date of Blanchard's death, to be declared "General Blanchard Memorial Day".

Beamanoir has hailed General Blanchard as "our fallen hero, a national martyr who gave his life for his country" and described it as "unthinkable that he should not be honoured in the proper way".

Cardinal Pierre Carrel, the Archbishop of Nouville, has refused to allow the General's body to "lie in state" at Nouville Cathedral, and says he has forbidden permission for the General's funeral to be held at the Cathedral or any similarly large church building in Noumonde, saying he believes it would be more appropriate for the funeral to be a "small and private family affair".

Carrel's stance has outraged Beaumanoir and other Blanchard supporters, who are demanding the occupation authorities should force the Archbishop to allow the funeral to take place in the Cathedral, with full state honours.

Malgy leaders have made plain they would strongly oppose any ostentatious funeral for General Blanchard, and some have even discussed picketing his funeral - whether it goes ahead as a formal state event or not.

[Aquinas]

Blanchard critic assassinated

[Aquinas]

March 4461

Princess Ruth opens car door


Princess Ruth visiting a Malgy orphanage in Renivohitra

Princess Ruth of Kazulia, who is about to be married to Lourenne's Prince Henri, has generated a stir in Noumon Canrillaise high society by allegedly opening a car door all by herself, whilst on her way to visit a Malgy orphanage in Renivohitra.

This supposed faux-pas has generated a massive backlash against her in upper-class Canrillaise circles, particularly in society magazines such as Majesté, La Dame and Ta Famille.

Countess Estelle Beaumanoir, the wife of ex-Defence Minister Count Henri Beaumanoir, has described Princess Ruth's behaviour as "tacky" and "lacking in decorum", saying "no lady of station opens a car door by herself; it is opened for her by either her servant or her husband".

Meanwhile, Majesté conflated Princess Ruth's car door opening outrage with "all of these vulgar Federation women soldier creatures milling around all over the place, demeaning our standards of Canrillaise femininity and ladylikeness", whilst La Dame compared Lady Ruth to a "white van man" and suggested she "should go back home and only be allowed to come back to Noumonde once she has learned proper manners".

In the popular tabloids, commentators have been more sympathetic to Princess Ruth's cause, with Étoile Quotidienne praising her for her "humanity, compassion and unpretentious, decent down-to-earth approach" and one woman writing to the letters page of the Journal Quotidien to say:

These are hard times financially, and I've personally had to let my Malgy chauffeur go, sadly, which means I sometimes drive the car by myself - and yes - that means having to open and close the door by myself too. This is a deprivation, but it's not the end of the world for me. There is more to being a lady than not driving and not opening car doors.

However, Marie-Noëlle Raoult of Ta Famille did not agree, writing "No self-respecting lady would drive cars or open car doors" and that "even if, in a fit of madness, I decided I wanted to do something like that, I'm quite certain my loyal Malgy manservant would prevent me from making such a spectacle of myself".

Stories are also circulating that whilst at the orphanage, Princess Ruth offended Lady Anne-Marie Delafosse, one of the patrons of the orphanage who was there to greet her. Apparently Lady Anne-Marie was telling Princess Ruth about the 103 horses she owns, and Princess Ruth responded "My, looking after them must keep you very busy!" When Lady Anne-Marie replied "Not at all, I have Malgys to look after them for me", for a brief moment Princess Ruth allegedly raised her eyes skyward, making Lady Anne-Marie feel embarrassed. Like the car door incident, reports of this episode are also circulating at high speed and with great intensity around the Noumon gossip mill.

[Aquinas]

Leon Cormier addresses the World Congress General Assembly

[Aquinas]

Masoandro Androkae addresses the General Assembly