Misra Reportedly Calls for CU Security Cooperation Opt-Out in Manauia
According to a highly-placed source within Republic House, Laeralian foreign affairs minister Tanvi Misra today expressed support for Manauia’s bid to join the Caxcanan Union while calling for the island nation to opt out of security collaboration with other CU member states in a private call with the Manauian foreign minister. The bloc, formed 2021 by regional powers such as Eiria and Huenya, promotes collaboration in the political and economic domains, as well as security.
Misra reportedly informed her Manauian counterpart Chuayna that military collaboration with CU member states on a continuing basis would likely be seen as an unacceptable escalation to Xiomera, which is separated from Manauia by only a few kilometers of strait. Analysts suggest that Manauia may look to collaboration with non-aligned nations and those outside the region to better its largely-underdeveloped defense forces in order to avoid a hostile Xiomeran response.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to confirm that Misra had conveyed such a message to the Manuaian government, with a ministerial spokesperson stating only that “as the chief negotiator of the Jinyu Agreement with a firm commitment to international peacebrokering, the Liu-Martin government takes the security of the Greater Huenya region seriously.” Foreign Minister Misra is expected to convey a similar message in her phone conversation scheduled for Thursday afternoon with Eirian Minister of the Caxcanan Union William Lancaster.
Source: La Sentinelle
Serriel Inaugurates New Drone Factory
Serriel announced the opening of a new factory in Nasah province which will produce military drones for the kingdom’s military forces and select overseas state clients. The October 7th Aerial Vehicle Factory, named for the date of a great Serrielan victory during the Serriel-Iskiram War, is managed by the state arms manufacturer and will employ around 400 in producing military drones such as the SSE Albasti-2, the Serrielan military’s primary reconnaissance or attack drone. The factory first began construction in 2021, marking the kingdom’s first major investment in its domestic defense industry since the 2010s. Analysts note that the move may herald further Serrielan defense investment, particularly following growing military ties between Xiomera and Serriel’s historic rival Iskiram.
Source: Moniteur Mondial
Council of Kerlile Officially Expels Carmen Robinson as Member Following Treason Accusations
Almost a year following the imprisonment of then-Councillor Carmen Robinson, the Council of Kerlile has officially expelled Robinson as a member, reducing their own number down to nine. In what comes as a surprise to many, however, they have released Robinson on the condition that she immediately leaves the country, surprising many who expected to see an execution.
Robinson is expected to take up residence in Zongongia, her family’s ancestral homeland before the establishment of the Matriarchy, and where her two daughters Natasha (16) and Imogen (9) fled prior to their mother’s arrest in June last year. The mountainous, deeply religious country borders Kerlile to the west and is known for its neutral stance in world affairs, taking no side in the vast majority of conflicts since its foundation.
Kerlian government officials refused to comment to DTNS on Robinson’s expulsion.
Source: Internal Kerlian reports
Despite setbacks, Huenya stabilizes front against separatist
Despite major setbacks, Huenya’s military has reportedly begun to stabilize the front against ethnic Xiomeran separatists in the southeast of the country. Huenyan forces have also managed to stave off the formation of similar ethnic enclaves in other parts of the nation, stifling one of the major goals of the separatist State of Western Xiomera.
The biggest setback Huenya has faced has not been a lack of soldiers. Huenya has a large and well-trained defense force, many of whose soldiers have recent combat experience from the Xiomeran Civil War. The major issues hindering the Huenyan fightback have been hardware and funding. Huenya’s economy is recovering from the war, aided by assistance from Laeral and Eiria. However, the country is still much poorer than it was under Xiomeran rule, and multiple competing interests within Huenya’s emerging democracy have also made securing defense funding a challenge.
The worst challenge, however, has been the hardware and equipment Huenya’s Federation Defense Forces rely on to fight. Most of their ground vehicles, planes and ships were left over from the Xiomeran military when it retreated from Huenya. Cut off from Xiomeran support, keeping that equipment operating has been a matter of trial, error and improvisation for the FDF. Many of the Xiomeran technologies also had “kill switches” built into them, according to Huenyan defense officials. Xiomera has reportedly set off these time bombs, frying electronics and scrambling software required to operate its advanced weapons systems and rendering them inoperative. While Huenyan officials have refused to confirm this, it is estimated that as much as 25% of the country’s military equipment is non-functional on a given day.
With help from foreign allies, and a healthy dose of local innovation and creativity, however, Huenya has managed to get enough of its hardware operational to regain the initiative on the battlefield against the separatists. The current front line has become a static border, rather than a true front line, according to Huenyan officials. The war effort is now being led by a three-person team consisting of General Huatli and General Tlanexchel of the Federation Army, and Cihuacōātl Tlalmaxxi on behalf of the Federal Intelligence Service. Restoring control over the separatist territory remains the ultimate goal. But stabilizing the front and keeping the separatists from gaining more territory is being seen as a significant victory in Chuaztlapoc – especially given the emerging presence of CSSC mercenaries in the area backing the separatist forces.
Source: DTNS
Separatist Huenyan state rebrands again, seeking international legitimacy
The separatist state in southeastern Huenya has rebranded itself again, seeking greater international legitimacy. Now calling itself the Theocracy of Western Xiomera, the separatist state has formed an official government and is seeking to send ambassadors abroad. It is also requesting membership in LIDUN and to form trade relations with other nations.
The terrorist leader known only as “Commander Mictlāntēcutli” has also emerged from the shadows. He has identified himself as Xoacuitoa, the former commander of Xiomeran military forces in the Tepiltzin Military District during the Xiomeran Civil War. The former general is now styling himself as President of Western Xiomera, and claims that his state is “seeking only to protect ethnic Xiomerans in Huenya, and protect their ancient religious, cultural, economic and political rights.” Xoacuitoa has allied with radical priests of the Huenyan indigenous religion Teotzin, creating a highly conservative and religious regime.
Xiomera remains the only other country to recognize Western Xiomera as a legitimate state.
Source: DTNS
