Mount Jekara
Mount Jekara (Tamashek: ⴻⵙⴰⵓⴰⵍ ⵊⴻⴽⴰⵔⴰ, Esawal Jekara) is an military proving ground and training center operated by the Charnean Army. It was established in 1956 deep in the Ninva desert, 37 kilometers northeast of Awakar City, surrounding a 1,000 meter tall granite inselberg for which the facility is named. This vantage point is topped by the radar and communications equipment as well as the observation post corresponding to the military complex below. The elevation of Mount Jekara's peak compared to the flat terrain of the surrounding desert makes it both a highly visible landmark and an excellent vantage point from which to monitor and observe the extensive testing grounds in clear view of the summit. The Mount Jekara campus is served by approximately 5,000 military personnel and 2,000 civilians most of whom live on site due to the isolated nature of the facility, although a number of the staff also live in Awakar City and commute via a direct train line which serves as the primary link between Mount Jekara and the wider Charnean transport network. Mount Jekara is primarily used for the development and testing of military equipment for the Charnean Army but also serves as an important training ground where advanced units experiment with new weapons technology and develop tactics using live exercises.
The sensitive nature of the projects undertaken at Mount Jekara have resulted in a high level of state secrecy surrounding the facility and its personnel, resulting in a number of controversies and a great deal of public suspicion towards Mount Jekara. Some in the Charnean public have referred to the base as an ICA black site where dissidents and suspected terrorists are sent to be interrogated and tortured, while foreign sources have leveled various accusations that the Charnean government has developed biological and chemical weapons at the Mount Jekara facility, spurred on by leaks which confirmed the presence of a depot containing white phosphorous intended for military use at the site. These rumors and conspiracy theories had existed for some time following the construction of the Mount Jekara complex, but grew exponentially in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the wake of the Ninvite War which saw the use of chemical weapons by the ICA. An increase in public interest in the site has also contributed to the rising number of attempted security breaches of the secure military base by members of the public and even foreign visitors to Charnea, which in turn has led to a spate of arrests and even fatal shootings of tresspassers by the Charnean Army security detail assigned to Mount Jekara.