Roca War

Roca War
Part of Vasilin Sea crisis
Damage to buildings in Osmino after being hit by a missile, 3 September 2024
Date 31 August 2024 (2 months, 1 week and 3 days) Location North Kandson, Rettoa Vasilin Sea
Belligerents
North Kandson North Kandson Navy North Kandson Air Force North Kandson Army Support: EUEEN	Rettoa Rettoan Air Force Rettoan Navy
Commanders and leaders
Perie Jefferson	Ivan Tonovich

The Roca War, also known as the Rettoa-Kandson War and the Roca Inlet crisis, is an ongoing military conflict between Rettoa and North Kandson which began on August 31st, 2024. The conflict began after Rettoan president Ivan Tonovich ordered his military to blockade the Roca Inlet in order to seize its underwater oil fields. North Kandson and most of the international community condemned the sudden mobilization, and attempts to enter negotiations with the Rettoan government failed. Many nations pledged to aid North Kandson in the event of a war, but EUEEN would not commit to sending troops due to disagreements with the administration of Perie Jefferson. During the initial standoff a Kandsonian fighter jet was shot down, and hours later Rettoa fired thousands of missiles into North Kandson, targeting military and logistics. Kandsonian air defense systems intercepted the majority of missiles, but many hit their targets as well as civilian sites. Rettoa then began seizing or destroying Kandsonian offshore oil platforms in the Vasilin Sea.

Background

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Rettoa and North Kandson were caught in tensions of the Vasilin Sea crisis, largely over the status of maritime boundaries and resources in the Roca Inlet. The inlet's natural resources include extensive seafloor oil and gas fields and rare mineral deposits. In 1988, a popular revolution broke out, and a military intervention by the Alliance of Central Euronian States prevented the government's overthrow. The same year, Rettoa and North Kandson signed the Treaty of Myrance and quelled most of the disputes. The treaty resulted in the demilitarization and the equal territorial share of the inlet, though prohibited the extraction of resources from the seafloor.

In the decades following the 1988 treaty, both Rettoan and Kandsonian governments had voiced disatisfaction with the treaty's provisions, but Kandson in particular adhered to it thanks to extensive alternative offshore drilling opportunities in the Vasilin Sea. Rettoa, however, has a far more limited remaining maritime boundary, and as such its economic prospects for drilling were severely restrained in comparison. As such, Rettoan vigor to overcome the 1988 treaty was palpable in the years leading to the renewed crisis. Furthermore, repeated Rettoan attempts to delegate a renegotiation of the treaty were denied by the Kandsonian governments of João dos Senell and Perie Jefferson, the most recent attempt having been in 2022.

On August 30th, 2024, the Rettoan Executive Council agreed to a proposal to begin drilling for offshore oil and declare the 1988 treaty void, and president Ivan Tonovich ordered the military to blockade the Roca Inlet. Naval deployments began almost immediately, with drilling ships escorted by guided-missile frigates and destroyers. North Kandson's immediate reaction was condemnation, with Jefferson taking a stance of strong-arming language to attempt to deter Rettoa's buildup. When it became clear that the mobilization could spiral into a conflict, Jefferson backpedaled and requested the international community open diplomatic channels. The EUEEN sent delegates to Stasso's capital of Bohubem to meet with Rettoan diplomats, but the talks fell through as the Alliance of Central Euronian States (ACES) backed Rettoa's sovereignty over the inlet.

EUEEN, in turn, called for Rettoa to restrain its military buildup and claimed they would aid North Kandson by sending supplies and logistic support in the event of a conflict, but a rift between member states emerged after Odoni's president Gillian Avlin stated EUEEN should not intervene militarily as long as Perie Jefferson remained in power. Jefferson's administration was widely disliked in the democratic organization for its proven corruption, controversial actions against political opponents, and often-times rigged elections. As such, EUEEN governments and their military commands were not enthusiastic about joining a conflict to back an increasingly authoritarian figure. WEDA's approach was similar, despite a Zamastanian Air Force base near Osmino, that they would not send forces unless their nations were directly threatened.