The Western IslesBoard

Operation Swift Resolution
Part of the 2nd Charbagnian Civil War

Various scenes of the conflict in Charbagnia

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Date: 23 January 2018 - 25 August 2018
(7 months and 2 days)
Location: Charbagnian Federation, Southern Sea
Result: Coalition victory

• Ceasefire between Charbagnian Federation and Provisional Government of the Republic of Charbagnia

• Proclamation of the Federal Union of the Republic of Charbagnia

• Charbagnian Unity government deposed in the Charbagnian Federation

• Creation of the Charbagnian DMZ

• League Resolutions 9 and 11 passed, beginning the Disarmament of Charbagnia

Territorial Changes:

• States of Frébonne, Andel, Soignane, Clermont, Maibeaux, Altges, Enkerk, Westinseln, Zurzach, and Alburg west of Helmwerder captured by the Republic of Charbagnia

• 30km DMZ at the Line of Contact between the Republic of Charbagnia and Charbagnian Federation is established

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Belligerents

Multinational Response Task Group 2 Dormill and Stiura Vancouvia Athara Magarat Renet Yursea Foreign support	Charbagnian Federation Foreign support	Federal Union of the Republic of Charbagnia Foreign support

Commanders and Leaders

Cedar Dyson Hector Causey Edgar Bonnet Brian Gulling George Pastel Harold Storm Jrm Hangma Ilsa Hangma (Renet) Mark Allen (Renet) Michael Harris (Renet) Peter Hall (Renet) Jack Morris Dax Nolan Rodney Cooke	Kurt Weinreb Marco Strobel Nolan Carl Robert Ryer	Matthieu Porcher Jehoash Del Rio Henri Poirot Sullivan Blanc Thibaud Samuel

Strength

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Casualties and Losses

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Relevant Posts:

Federal Union of the Republic of Charbagnia
Union fédérale de la République charbagnie (French)
Unión Federal de la República Charbagnia (Spanish)
Tzequatl Cucuallitli tli Pox'tlakh Chabanni (Tchacuatl)

Flag	Emblem

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Motto: tbd

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Anthem: tbd

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Land controlled by the Federal Union of the Republic of Charbagnia shown in Dark Green; land claimed but uncontrolled shown in light green

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Official Language: French

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National Languages: English, German, Spanish, Tchacuatl

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Capital: Maullon
Largest City: Esmerelda

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Ethno-Cultural Groups:
80% European French
10% European German
5% Islander French
3% Charban
2% Salimanic
0.75% Ipachi
0.25% Kriat

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Religion:
65% Christian
30% Irreligious
5% Other

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Demonym: Charbganian (formal) Charb (informal/insult)

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Government: Federal semi-presidential republic

Chairman of the Presidency: Matthieu Porcher
Members of the Presidency: Jehoash Del Rio / Adedayo Losa / Serge D'Cruz
Prime Minister: Matéo Martel
President of the National Council: Léandre Lavigne
President of the House of Representatives: Salomon St Pierre

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Legislature: Parliament
Upper House: National Council
Lower House: House of Representatives

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Independence from the Kingdom of France:
- Great Revolt: 14 July 1801
- Formation of the United Republics of Charbagnia: 30 August 1805
- Charbagnian Civil War: 1814 - 1818
- Formation of the Federal Union of Charbagnian Republics: 01 January 1819
- Imperial Revolt: 1937 - 1949
- Formation of the Charbagnian Federation: 24 May 1949
- Second Great Revolt: 11 January 2018
- Surrender of Charbagnian Federation to the League: 25 July 2018
- Provisional Constitution: 11 August 2018
- Constitution Adopted: 14 July 2019

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Area:
- Total: 10,400km²
- Water (%)

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Population: 6,501,000 (2021)
Density: /km²

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GDP (nominal)
Total: $124,300,000,000
Per Capita: $19,123

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Gini:

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HDI (2019): .48

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Currency: New Charbagnian Franc (NCF; N₣)

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Time Zone: Western Isles Time (WIT)

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Date Format: dd/mm/yyyy

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Drives on the: right

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Calling code: +207

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Internet TLD: .rc

North Charbagnia, officially known as the Federal Union of the Republic of Charbagnia (RC), is a federal semi-presidential republic in the Southern Sea consisting of the north and western parts of the main island of Charbagnia and the West Islands. Its geography is dominated by the large northern Grandes Dents mountain range, with a hilly landscape in the center of the country with relatively flat coastal land. It shares a land border with the Charbagnian Federation to the south. The former resort town Mallon was converted into the Republic’s capital while a majority of its population lives in the Esmerelda metropolitan area on the east coast.

Charbagnia was known to be inhabited by humans since at least the First Century BCE as recorded in ancient archives in Mirik Szil, Razzgriz, although historians suggest an earlier settlement by Proto-Eastern Argean peoples in a migration theory shared with San Javier. Its first civilization was noted around the same time and has been referred to as the Charbagnian Kingdom, which eventually united the central island around the 230s CE. The islands were discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and were subsequently colonized by the Spanish in the 1570s.

Following European colonization, slaves from Martenyika, the Argean Sea, and Vendriothos were imported as a labor force for the colonial holdings in various cash crop industries, and as domestic servants. In addition, Salimanic settlers, partly as an addition to the slave labor and partly as an independent people, also arrived in numbers in Charbagnia. As a result of integrating into the Argean Sea Slave Trade, Charbagnia became a focal point in the Southern Sea Trade Network, linking Aprosia, Argus, and Gael in an ironic inversion of the Atlantic Triangle Trade. In the wake of the Doraltic and Segentovan Revolutions, European colonial authority in Charbagnia eroded enough to prompt a slave revolt in the French colony Agnion which spread across the island from 1801 to 1805. At the end of summer in 1805, the United Republics of Charbagnia formed.

Successive revolts, military dictatorships, and democratic governments followed until the collapse of the Charbagnian state in 2018 as a result of instability caused by the Second Imperial War. The Republic emerged as one of several successor governments to the Charbagnian Federation in 2020. North Charbagnia enjoys limited international support, having been recognized by Dormill and Stiura in 2019 and other nations in 2020, while it competes for control of the rest of Charbagnia with the other successor states of the Federation.

Etymology

The etymology of Charbagnia has unclear roots, but most scholars point to early descriptions by Khas-Kiriat explorers as a potential origin point, with the modern concept being developed subsequently by European and Islander settlers.

When speaking about Charbagnia in general, it is customary to prefix the origin of the subject (i.e. French or German Charbagnian). The term "Charb", used in some foreign contexts, is considered a slur.

History
After the chaos of the Second Imperial War, Charbagnia was left in a destitute state with a significant portion of its infrastructure decimated by the fighting. The destruction of the highly profitable East Channel oil field further strained the post-war situation for Charbagnia, now saddled with the labor costs of cleaning efforts while Aizcona and Aprosia each litigated against the League for their reparations to Charbagnia for the war.

This period of chaos in Charbagnia reignited ethnic tensions held at bay by the United Charbagnia Party and the leadership of the Weinreb-Strobel government, starting with agitations from French Charbagnians in the west regarding language rights. Simultaneously, the Spanish and Salimanic Charbagnians also began protests to gain ethnic rights in the German-dominated government.

In the May-July 2016 French protests across Charbagnia, the sepratist movement Liberté pour les Gens officially formed with the stated intention of forming an independent French state in Charbagnia. The group quickly aligned with the minoritarian People’s Social Democratic Party, creating a nationalist leftist bloc against the Charbagnian federal government, which quickly declared “Liberte” an illegal organization and labeled them as a foreign plot to destroy Charbagnia once and for all.

The Winter of 2016-17 would be brutal for Charbagnia as scheduled blackouts became common as the power plants that fueled Charbagnia remained in various states of damage, costing the lives of several thousands and close to two billion dollars in further infrastructure damage. In response, the United Republics of Dormill and Stiura, alongside its partners in the Gael Four and other Isles nations put together an aid package which included expert engineers and construction labor to restore Charbagnia’s most vital power plants, especially in the north where underdeveloped infrastructure led to the worst of both the blackouts and deaths.

This decision to prioritize aiding the north by Dormill and Stiura had the unintended consequence of arming the federal government with a scapegoat for Liberté pour les Gens’ rise in prominence among French Charbagnians, accusing the Dyson Government of providing covert aid to assist in sepratist efforts and the creation of a puppet state as payment for their earlier intervention in the Second Imperial War. Though the Dyson Government has repeatedly denied the claims of the Charbagnian federal government, it remains a continued point of opposition between the two states.

By mid-2017, “Liberte” grew to have nearly a quarter of the entire French-speaking population of Charbagnia as members, proving to be a significant threat to Charbagnian federal authority as several towns in northern and western Charbagnia began electing “Liberte” members into their local governments. Simultaneously, “Liberte”-aligned politicians in Parliament began making calls for a referendum to allow French-majority communities in Charbagnia to secede from the Federation entirely. Resistance against this movement by the Weinreb-Strobel government culminated in President Weinreb dissolving Parliament ahead of schedule and calling for elections, banking on an effort being led by Prime Minister Strobel to unite the rest of Charbagnia against the French by promising a reform package to grant special rights to the Spanish and Salimanic communities, both of which were individually far smaller than the French.

This plan, revealed by the press, ignited the French Charbagnians who almost instantly went to the streets of every Charbagnian town and city to protest what was framed as a declaration of war against them. During the initial days of the mass protests, a leadership conflict between “Liberte” and the PSDP over the scope of the growing revolution (between French independence or an overall Socialist revolution) precipitated the breakdown of their alliance. This breakdown grew violent as armed gangs of “Liberte” and PSDP revolutionaries clashed with gunfire in the streets of Esmerelda, the second-largest city in Charbagnia at the time.

This revolution transformed dramatically on 08 October, 2017 when unmarked federal police and military forces fired Sarin-loaded rocket artillery into Esmerelda preceding a raid to arrest or kill the leaders of the armed groups in the city. A later League investigation would reveal that the Sarin was sourced from an Aprosian surplus stockpile left over from the invasion. Ultimately, almost two thousand people lost their lives with close to a million being treated for the effects of Sarin by the Charbagnian federal government shortly thereafter.

The escalation of the conflict brought international attention back to Charbagnia with an almost universal condemnation of the Charbagnian federal government for, at the time, failing to prevent the attack by what was understood as unknown terrorist forces. When an initial League investigation was rebuffed, further scrutiny was brought over the situation. On the 9th, Liberté pour les Gens issued a proclamation stating the Federation had declared war on its own citizens and accused the federal government of orchestrating the attack. By the 12th, the state of Frébonne declared its secession from the Federation, formally starting the Second Charbagnian Civil War.

From October through the end of the year, more French nationalist armed groups formed to rebel against the Charbagnian federal government, growing in size to eventually outnumber the Federal Armed Forces, prompting President Weinreb as Commander-in-Chief to declare martial law and conscription. In December, the Federal Air Force began conducting airstrikes across northern and western Charbagnia against centers of rebel activity, including strikes against Narzieu, Frébonne’s capital city.

On the morning of 11 January, the French of Charbagnia began their more general campaign against the Federation with the declaration of the French Republic of Charbagnia and the start of the Second Great Revolt. On the same day, the League passed Resolution 11, issuing an ultimatum to the Charbagnian Federation to enter a ceasefire and submit to a League-operated investigation of its armed forces to find and dispose of any further weapons of mass destruction.

On 23 January 2018, the Charbagnian Federation officially refused the ultimatum after stalling for time in the hope that an internal investigation could be concocted to claim the destruction of its WMD arsenal. Instead of the international community relenting, Cedar Dyson announced the formation of a Multinational Response Force Task Group with Vancouvia and Athara Magrat and the initiation of Operation Swift Resolution which began operations on the 24th.

For the following seven months, the MRF Task Group managed to cripple the Charbagnian Federation as it attempted to resist the formation of a DMZ between the larger French rebel groups and the Federation in the state of Maibeaux and along the Helmwerder river. During this time, the French Republic attempted to establish a formal government, convincing the former governments of Maibeaux and Clermont to join. Though the ultimate goal was to unite all French-majority states, Frébonne’s insistence to remain independent from the further war drew anger from the nascent French government. The situation was not aided when the People’s Social Democratic Party won power in Frébonne, leading to accusations of instigating anti-French sentiments by French Charbagnia.

In order to protect itself, the new government of Frébonne called upon Utou for military aid which was readily provided. An attempted helicopter raid by French Charbagnian forces in April prompted a battle that resulted in the death of French Charbagnia's leadership. The revolution in tatters, northern Charbagnia seemed to be a hopeless cause until Jehoash Del Rio, a local leader from Esmerelda that survived the Sarin attack, formed a militia to the aid of the French.

When Swift Resolution began to turn into an occupation, Del Rio and other leaders attempted to negotiate for their new government, the Republic of Charbagnia, to take over and reestablish order. Though the French vehemently opposed the idea of forming a multi-ethnic state again, the arrest of the few remaining leaders by Doraltic troops saw the end of any organized resistance to the formation of the Republic of Charbagnia, which quickly set out to establish ethnic enclaves as federal subjects, largest among them is the remnants of the French Republic but also including the Estado de Charbagnia and local communities of Salimanic and mixed ethnicity communities.

With very limited international recognition and even fewer means to project hard or soft power, the newly minted Federal Union is left in a precarious position in both Charbagnia and the Southern Sea.

Geography

The physical geography of the Charbagnia is varied. The islands are mostly mountainous and hilly, with pockets of flat terrain mostly seen in the center of the country or by the coast. The north of the island of Charbagnia contains the Republic's biggest mountain range called the 'Grandes Dents' mountain range, home to the mineral wealth of the nation. The tallest mountain in the Republic, and all of Charbagnia, is Mont Gris, in the Grandes Dents mountain range. The river with the highest volume of water is the River Dieudonné in the North West of the country. The largest lake by surface area and volume is Traub in Altges.

Charbagnia has a warmer, Tropical climate. Average temperatures are around 15-25° Celsius. Charbagnia experiences short periods of heavy rain and damp weather, mostly experiencing dry periods throughout the year, especially in the summer with extremely low precipitation. Summers are usually very warm and winters are usually no different, maintaining a steady average temperature throughout the year.

Demographics

Population

Language
The Republic of Charbagnia recognizes French as the official language for government business, though there is additionally a population of English, Spanish, Salimanese, and German speakers that have distinct language rights within their own federal states.

Though a Unitary State, French Charbagnia grants considerable amounts of autonomy to subnational units, with Parliament purposely designed to only handle issues of national importance as a safeguard against overreach.

French Charbagnia has defined three branches to its government:

• The Legislature: Vested in the Parliament

• The Executive: Vested in the co-offices of President and Prime Minister

• The Judiciary: Vested in the Supreme Court

In French Charbagnia, the President is defined as "the Head of the French Charbagnian State in all official functions, the Chief Executive, Commander-in-Chief of all Armed Forces, and Arbiter of the will of the Parliament". The President is not officially the Head of the Charbagnian Government, but does have the power to appoint or remove all Ministers of the Parliament subject to a vote by Parliament or approval by the Supreme Court.

The President of French Charbagnia, who has no official style, is elected via national election every 5 years and are limited to 2 terms excluding instances where a Vice President has served as President for more than half of their predecessor's term, in which case they are limited to a single term. The Prime Minister, by contrast, is an appointed position by the President, typically reserved to the person who can "command the confidence of more than two-thirds of Parliament". This means that party bosses of the largest party (or leading party of a coalition) is usually appointed by the President. A Prime Minister's term is only subject to the President and their ability to command the confidence of the Parliament, and thus has no explicit term limit and can even serve under multiple Presidents.

As a Unitary State, French Charbagnia has no subnational territory that exercises independence from Parliament, though in practice the Constitution of French Charbagnia has granted significant autonomy and power to subnational units as a method of preventing an overreach of power from Parliament so soon in the country's existence. Therefore, the Republic is first divided into "Regions" that carry over the old state borders of the Charbagnian Federation. The Republic lays claim to four regions, Clermont, Maibeaux, Frébonne, and Soignane; although the Republic only is in de facto control of Clermont and Maibeaux. Regions have no local government and are only used by the Republic to organize the administration of its territory. Under regions are Departments, which do have local governments, these are followed by Municipalities and Communes.

Foreign Relations and Military

North Charbagnia is not widely recognized by the international community, only recently receiving recognition by the United Republics of Dormill and Stiura in early 2019. Presently, the North Charbagnian military is purely a land force, consisting of around 10,000 total personnel divided into local units. These units are supplemented by militias, police, and other groups of armed civilians. The North Charbagnian economy is driven mostly by mineral extraction and exportation, with some level of the local agricultural industry that has been directed by the government to ensure that the nation can be self-sustainable in the aspects of food, there is a small tertiary sector mostly vested in tourism and related industries, but these have been severely curtailed since the civil war.

At present, the government's primary foreign policy goal is to continue gaining international recognition as a distinct and separate state from the Charbagnian Federation and assert its sovereignty over the remaining predominantly French territories of Charbagnia, vested mostly in the former states of Frébonne and Soignane. Some international observers accuse Dormill and Stiura of subverting North Charbagnia's wider foreign policy into Doraltic foreign policy through its ongoing occupation, a claim that both governments have consistently denied.

The Unified National Defense Forces of Charbagnia comprises the primary fighting force of North Charbagnia. Formed from several militias that fought in the revolution against the Charbagnian Federation, the FDNU is not completely a professional force, and the central organization of the various militias that compose it is lacking.

In addition to its domestic military, the Republic of Charbagnia has also relied on the aid of the League of the Western Isles, the United Republics, and the Ahnslen Regional Stability Force to supplement the defense of the nation.
Economy

The Republic has a lower-middle income mixed economy with larger reserves of natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas. It has a small economy with an emphasis on primary sectors. The government plays a defined role in the country's economy, overseeing quite a lot of resource planning. Nearly half of the Republic's population lives below the poverty line, and 7% are unemployed entirely, mostly thanks to the destruction of industry and property that resulted from the War and the disconnection of the major industrial centers of the south by the various occupations.

Dominating the Republic's exports abroad are oil, natural gas, metals, and timber, among refined items such as machinery and appliances, hardware, processed minerals, jewelry, and foodstuffs. Since 2005, the exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market strengthened considerably. As of 2016, the primary sectors accounted for 20% of GDP and 64% of the Government budget.

International indicators show that corruption is still rife within the economy, with several sectors being dominated by monopolies or state-run enterprises such as the National Mining Cooperative, FedLine Internet Services, and others. National and International pressure to crack down on the Republic's economic corruption remains the most prevalent problem to the present government, which has made overtures to stamp down on corruption. However, internal reports indicate the government does not have the money or power to effectively combat this corruption, with many of the same monopolies having a great range of control in public and private life alongside their dominance of the economy in general.

In terms of energy use, nearly 75% of all energy consumed in the Republic of Charbagnia comes from non-renewable sources, predominantly Natural Gas with supplementary oil and coal in the mix. While the Republic, by the Constitution, dedicates itself to the protection of the environment and the abandonment of fossil fuels, plans to that effect have been slow to implement. The relative cost to establish sources of renewable power has made the transition painfully slow, with only the first solar power plant in construction so far scheduled for completion by the early 2030s.

Culture

Charbagnian culture is deeply intertwined in the dynamic relationship between the component demographic groups of the nation, with the Republic as a whole resembling a kind of "ethnic and cultural mosaic" as opposed to a "melting pot" that is common in the Isles. This is most especially evident in the stark division between French Charbagnians, who are predominantly Catholic and conservative, and German Charbagnians, who are Protestant and liberal. These divisions have caused bouts of ethnic, cultural, and sectarian strife throughout Charbagnian history, but was brought to its height in 2018 when the German-dominated Federation used Chemical Weapons in an effort to crack down on pro-Francophone movements across the nation, prompting the ARRF's intervention.

The same is also true of the present Republic, which has spent an inordinate effort on trying to prevent the now German minority from counter-revolting against the French-dominated government.

Maullon

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