Rostani Civil War (1949)

Workers' Uprising (Rostani Civil War)
Communist attack during the Battle of Wasgali, 1944
Date 6 April 1940 - 11 August 1949 (9 years, 3 months and 5 days) Location Rostanistan Result Communists defeated Berbian Arab Socialist Republic defeated Consolidation of monarchy
Belligerents
File:.png Rostanistan File:.png Armed Forces of Rostanistan	Berbian Arab Socialist Republic Army of Rostanistan Rostani Workers' Party
Commanders and leaders
File:.png Mohammed al-Fahn File:.png Mostafa Altek † File:.png Hassan Nefayaz File:.png Alsayed Juba File:.png Nofel Tayik	Saleh Abdat † Nahdiroh Iskan Naemotollah Kadir Sasanha Qumis † Maleek Jalil † Mohammed Badr
Strength
230,000 troops 900 light tanks 1,500 artillery pieces 200 planes	370,000 troops 450 light tanks 90 Planes
Casualties and losses
~167,000 killed	~343,000 killed
Around 135,000 civilians killed ~600,000 displaced 645,000 Killed (in total)

The Rostani Civil War was a civil war in Rostanistan fought between the royal-led government of the Kingdom of Rostanistan (KR) and forces of the Rostani Workers' Party (RWP) combined with the secessionist Berbian Socialist Republic lasting from 1940 to 1949.

The war is generally divided into two phases: from 1940 to 1944, the Communists rapidly overwhelmed rural Rostanistan, and the Berbian Socialist Republic (BSR) controlled an enclave in eastern Rostanistan while royal forces held out in the urban areas. From 1944 to 1949, after a failed and costly invasion of Wasgali, the communists switched to a prolonged guerilla warfare campaign while the BSR collapsed.

The KR gained control of the country and reestablished the Kingdom in 1947, forcing the leadership of the BSR to retreat to an unknown location. both tacitly ceased fire in 1949, after the signing of the Wasgali Treaty thereby ending the war.

Following the collapse of the Masul Sultanate and the 1899 Revolution, Kasim Juba assumed the monarchy of the newly formed Kingdom of Rostanistan, and was shortly thereafter succeeded by Alsayed Juba.

In 1923, Juba sent Mohammed al-Ramann, one of his lieutenants for a purge of suspected communists. Over 2,000 people were executed for sympathising or being communists.

Beginning of hostilities

On 1 August 1927, the communist Rostani Workers' Party launched an uprising in Mazua against the royal government in Wasgali. This conflict led to the creation of the Army of Rostanistan (AR), a force comprised of sympathisers within the military, peasant conscripts and mercenaries. On 21 July, the main forces of the AR left Mazua and headed southwards for an assault on the royal armoury of Yakoota. Royal forces quickly reoccupied Mazua while the remaining members of the RWP in Mazua went into hiding. A RWP meeting on 9 August confirmed the objective of the party was to seize the nation by force, but the RWP was quickly suppressed the next day on 10 August by the government in Mazua.

Communist forces parading through the recently-occupied Mazua.

Urban offensives and foundation of the BSR

Attempts were later made by the RWP to take the cities of Eswaribad, Kakarodu and Mazua. The AR consisting of mutinous former Royal Army soldiers as well as armed peasants established control over several areas in southern Rostanistan. Royal forces continued to attempt to suppress the rebellions. Then, in September, RWP general Sasanha Qumis was forced out of Eswaribad in a total rout of the AR, losing his life in the process. September also saw an unsuccessful armed rural insurrection, known as the 21 Islands Uprising, led by Naemotollah Kadir. In November, Alsayed Juba went to Wasgali and invited forces led by Mofasa Altek to join him. On 21 December, the RWP started the Ouradou Uprising, establishing a puppet state named the Berbian Socialist Republic (BSR) there the next day, but the city was attacked in December under the orders of General Mohammed Badr. There were now two capitals in Rostanistan: the internationally recognized royal capital in Wasgali and the BSR regime at Ouradou, which would remain the BSR's capital for the remainder of its existence.

Badir Offensive (1942-1943)

In late 1942, Juba launched a campaign that involved the systematic encirclement of the BSR-held Badir region with a combined-arms assault involving light tank divisions, artillery barrages, and multiple infantry divisions. Unlike previous campaigns in which they employed a single strike, this time the Royal troops patiently encircled Badir, each attack group separated by about twelve kilometres, to surround the Communist areas and cut off their supplies, escape routes and food sources. Brutal urban fighting broke out between the advancing Royal forces and Communists, resulting in heavy casualties and extensive damage to the regional capital, Badira.

Royal forces scaling a dried-out canal.

Urban warfare continued until early 1943, with the surrender of the Communist army after a prolonged siege.

In 1943 as Badira fell, the BSR government decided to launch an offensive towards Royalist-held areas

Zama Campaign (1943-1944)

On July 7, on advice from his commanders, BSR Prime Minister Maleek Jalil decided to integrate the two armies in the region; the mercenary Drawn Swords Company and national BDF (Berbian Defence Force) and launch an offensive to subjugate the regional government and take over the resource-rich Zama region.. By this time, the Kingdom of Rostanistan had increased troop strength in Zama to more than forty thousand. Royal troops also invaded the town of Zukh (زيت), south of Nakhla. Thus, the frontline moved further south onto the banks of the Sufayr River. The BSR aim was to cross the Sufayr and take the city of Zumarud, which was the supplier of oil and munitions for the entire region.

If Zumarud fell, Royal troops would have to give up their positions in Zama and regions east of the Sufayr River to avoid a munitions drought. The defense of Zumarud was vital to how long the Royal army could continue fighting in the Zama war zone; for this, Royal general Nofel Tayik mobilized whatever remaining troops he could find.

The two armies engaged in seesaw battles, with little changes in the frontline along the Sufayr River. From July 10 to July 14, the BSR army was able to advance only three kilometers. At the most intense moments, positions would change hands multiple times a day. On July 17, the Second Army under Alsayed Juba finally arrived to join Tayik's Northern Army in the battle for Zumarud. The Royals then staged a final counteroffensive in an attempt to fully consolidate their positions around Zumarud and retake the east bank of the Sufayr River. However, the counteroffensive was poorly coordinated and the Royalists succumbed to superior Communist firepower. The BDF utilized some 90 light tanks and 120 artillery pieces for the Zumarud operation and the eastern city was totally reduced to rubble. The fighting was so fierce that the casualty rate per hour was sometimes in the thousands, and some regiments were incapacitated in a matter of just a few hours. The fighting continued until July 26, when Zumarud finally fell. By then, Royalist troops had no option but to withdraw from Northeastern Zama, which they had held for almost six months.

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