Imerti Conflict

Imerti Conflict
Syaran reinforcements arrive in Imerti
Date August 1987 - July 2010 (23 Years) Location Imerti Result Treaty of Aragon Region divided into Syaran and Ruvelkan protectorates from 1987-2005 Seized by Syara in August 2005 Ceded to Ruvelka after Zemplen War in 2010
Belligerents
Dombrád Autonomous Republic Ishkordhur Ruvelka	Imerti Concordat Symmerian Home Guard Syara
Commanders and leaders
Erdit Alibali Burrnore Maxhuni Dominik Veres Maia Sabauri Alex Veres Alexander Tóth Kamilla Kerekes Dominik Veres Edviná Molnár	Bulore Duka Dragomir Zhelev Saša Mlinarić Zhivko Hristovski Jovica Stefanov
Strength
12,500 60,000 (2005) 2,500 - 4,000	2,500 45,000 (2005) 4,500
Casualties and losses
2005: ~3,000 2,561 killed, wounded, and missing ~1,500	2005: ~500 1,766 killed, wounded, and missing 858 killed, wounded and missing

The Imerti Conflict was a ethno-political conflict over the region of Imerti on the border between Syara and Ruvelka. It lasted from 1987 to 2010, with the period of 1988 to mid-2005 as a frozen conflict, during which the region was divided between the Ruvelkan-backed Dombrád Autonomous Republic and the Syaran-backed Imerti Concordat. A paramilitary insurgency group known as the Ishkordhur fought against the Syaran occupation to unify Imerti into a single polity, with uneven support from Ruvelka and Dombrád. After initial heavy fighting during the closing months of the Refusal War, the conflict settled into a stalemate with scattered outbreaks of fighting between the two sides chiefly among the unofficial border known as the Imerti Division Line. In August 2005 after a period of increased tensions and clashes the Syaran military intervened directly and invaded the Dombrád Autonomous Republic, driving out the Ruvelkan military from the region. During the Zemplen War Imerti was largely under Syaran control until Ruvelkan forces entered the area during Operation Homefront, advancing to the Granika River. As part of the Treaty of Aragon that ended the war, Syara agreed to cede Imerti to Ruvelka in exchange for unrestricted travel rights for Syaran religious pilgrims.

Background

The Imertan people, for whom the region is named, are an ethno-linguistic group distinct from either Syarans or Ruvelkas. For most of recorded history Imerti was part of the Symmerian Empire, followed by the Rioni Union before falling under the Ruvelkan Imperium in the 19th Century. During the Ruvelkan-Symmerian War the region was conquered by the Symmerians and later incorporated into the Republic of Syara. During the Third Chryse War part of the region fell under the dominion of the Ruvelkan Socialist Republic, but was recaptured by the Syarans during the Ruvelkan Civil War. Following the Siduri War and the Broken Years discontent among the ethnic Imertan populace began to rise due to a lack of representation in the Syaran Senate as the region was considered part of the the Realm of Symmeria rather than it's own state; Imerti interests were represented by Symmerian rather than Imertan officials more often than not. In response to the growing rise of nationalism amid the ranks of the Wardens, many Imertans started protesting in favor of greater autonomy or even independence, which the by now decaying Republic struggled to suppress.

Division

During the Refusal War the pro-independence paramilitary Ishkordhur faction seized power in the regional capital of Dombrád in June 1986. When it became clear that the Wardens (by then steadily winning the conflict) would not accept an independent Imerti, the Ishkordhur appealed to Ruvelkan Chancellor Maia Sabauri who agreed to dispatch the Ruvelkan military to support the Imertans. The Wardens declared the act an invasion of Syaran soil and the Ishkordhur rebellion treason and dispatched 60,000 troops to region, leading to heavy fighting between the separatists and Ruvelkans against the Syarans. Syaran desires for Imerti were primarily driven by religious sentiment; Imerti is home to the Sanctuary of Artemis, one of the most holy sites of the Zobethos religion. Ensuring access to the Sanctuary for Syaran pilgrims was a major motivation for Syaran forces, in addition to the desire to avoid the implication that Syara was weak enough for its' territory to be invaded and annexed. Three months of heavy fighting ended with Ruvelkan and Ishkordhur forces in control of roughly 2/3rds of Imerti, including the regional capital. The Syaran retained control of the cities of Mlak, Kotodash, Uraki, and Macallje, but were unable to advance further. A ceasefire was signed in 1989 and reaffirmed by the Commonality-Principality Border Agreement of 1993, but critically both sides only agreed to the territorial division so long as certain elements were met, namely the free travel by Imertans to either side of the division and unhindered access to the Sanctuary of Artemis by Syaran pilgrims.

The terms of the treaty were not well received by some members of Ishkordhur, who considered any division of Imerti as politically unacceptable. Opposition to the state of affairs led the Ishkordhur to begin an insurgency campaign against Syaran occupation of Imerti, which occasionally led to the involvement of both Syaran and Ruvelkan military forces. Both Debrecen and Zovahr attempted to add legitimacy to their dominions by installing client states; Ruvelka formed the in 1990 while Syaran formed the Imerti Concordat in 1991. While both sides insisted their respective protectorates were the legitimate government both existed as little more than political extensions of their respective overseers. Despite continued violence throughout the 1990s, events in Imerti were largely overshadowed by the more politically prominent and widespread insurgency in Zemplen, further emphasized by the Syaran-led Zemplen Resolution Campaign.

Deterioration

Although a 2001 report by the Organization of Tyrannic Nations stated that both Syara and Ruvelka were largely committed to maintaining the peace in Imerti, the situation in the region began to deteriorate in the 21st Century. Historians have suggested various reasons for this. Despite both Ruvelka and Syara experiencing economic growth during the time period, Imerti (and other border regions like Zemplen) lagged behind. Continued if sporadic violence frightened away potential investors while internal growth was stymied by the questionable stability of the region. Lack of local growth and productivity forced many Imertans to travel for work and commerce, while continued attacks by the Ishkordhur further galvanized public sentiment in both directions. In response to increased traffic and the proliferation of the Ishkordhur, Syaran authorities in Imerti frequently shut down roads and checkpoints along major transit routes. These actions typically drew criticism from Ruvelkan and Dombrád officials, but Syaran authorities justified the actions due to the continued threats of the Ishkordhur. Additional fuel was thrown on the proverbial fire by reports of harassment and assaults on Syaran pilgrims, only further enflamed by attacks on the Sanctuary of Artemis in the form of arson attacks and vandalism. Despite Debrecens' condemnation of these incidents, public outrage from Syara further strained tensions.

Relations between Syara and Ruvelka in general began to sour in in the early 2000s. Residual Syaran insinuations of continued ties between Debrecen and the various separatist insurgent groups across the border regions remained following the 1997 Sopron Bombing, despite the Syaran government officially stating that there was no indication of Ruvelkan support or involvement. Syara's commencement of a major military modernization program in 2001 further eroded relations between the two nations, as Debren accused Zovahr of seeking to intimidate Ruvelka into concessions. Between 200-2004 there were more than a hundred incidents of attacks, confrontations, and standoffs along the Imerti division, most significant around the border cities of Pjezi, Joronshiste, and Losnik. In an effort to better control access to Concordat and Syaran territory, in June 2004 Syaran officials instituted a new credentialing system in which Imertans aiming to cross the division were required to register for travel cards with the Syaran government. The Symmerian Realm Government further established that Concordat travel cards would be registered alongside similar travel documents including passports, making them subject to Syaran law. The initiative was denounced in Dombrád and Debrecen as overbearing on Imertans in the Autonomous Republic. In response Ruvelkas' Federal Assembly passed legislation granting Dombrád special privileges to include the ability for Imertans living in the Autonomous Republic the ability to apply for Ruvelkan passports, effectively streamlining the path to citizenship. Syaran Minister of Foreign Affairs Katina Docevska labeled the action "irresponsible".

Tensions along the border subsequently spiked on 14 July 2004 when Concordat Security Services arrested eight Imertans who were attempting to travel to Kotodash from Joronshiste. After two weeks imprisonment the eight were released from custody amid Ruvelkan and Dombrád protest. The next month on 5 August Syaran officials claimed that one of the border outposts south of the Syaran city of Orle was fired upon by "insurgents and bandits" believed to be associated with the Ishkordhur. In response the Symmerian Viceroy Andrej Cilemanoff announced the closure of the connecting roadway between Syaran Highway S28 and Imertan Roadway C8. President Erdit Alibali of Dombrád criticized the move as "foolish and poorly thoughout", claiming the Symmerians were "failing to work towards common interests with the [Autonomous] Republic". Just two weeks later on 19 August another incident occurred when Ruvelkan law enforcement downed a Syaran unmanned aerial vehicle on the border near the Ruvelkan city of Vatuseve. Syara accused Ruvelka of downing the UAV while it was still in Syaran airspace, which Ruvelka denied.

In response to heightening tensions, Viceroy Cilemanoff ordered the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Symmerian Home Guard to be deployed to Imerti. The move was immediately labeled as provocative and against the outline of the Syaran-Ruvelkan agreement by both Dombrád and Debrecen. Zovahr argued otherwise, pointing out that the existing agreement covered national armed forces and did not apply to the Home Guard, which answered to the Viceroy and not the Executive or the national government. This legal distinction, which did not exist in Ruvelka and not recognized as such, was dismissed by Ruvelkan Chancellor Dominik Veres. Veres in turn authorized the dispatching of military equipment, including trucks, mortars, machine guns, anti-tank weaponry, and drones to Dombráds' security forces. These two actions triggered a steadily escalating series of deployments and an informal arms race between Symmerian and Ruvelkan/Dombrád forces in Imerti. In October the Symmerians reinforced their forces in Imerti with the 13th Armored Battalion, which the Ruvelkans answered by constructing forward arming and refueling points for helicopters. The Syaran Ministry of Defense labeled the act a "blatant indication of Ruvelkan intention for aggressive action in Imerti".

By 2005 the Symmerians had reinforced the Imerti Garrison with some 4,000 troops, including two infantry regiments, an armored battalion, and an artillery battalion. According to Syaran estimates Ruvelka and Dombrád fielded some 10,000 soldiers and security personnel in Imerti against some 6,000 Symmerian and Concordat troops.