Zalluabed civil war
| Zalluabed civil war | ||||||
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| Part of Zalluabed conflict | ||||||
  Top: A ruined neighborhood in Tuim. Bottom: Military situation in December 2023: Royal Zalluabed Defense Forces (RZDF) Feyt Zalluabed Ayat (FZA) People's Republic of Qahaza (PRQ) Hisrea People's Liberation Front (HPLF) | ||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||
 RZDF Supported by  TTPA (August-November 2023) |
 WEDA  ANS |
 People's Republic of Qahaza | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||
Saahir Salim † Jirhanu Bjyala Zayyaan al-Akhtar † Dhaakir el-Mansur  Brett Highland  Armand Mbombo  Marian Dalaylou |
Husani Antar  Zaaid el-Fahs Mubashshir al-Hamady Abyad Aziz |
Suhaib el-Dar Moussa Awni el-Hameed Khaleefa el-Abdi Badr Ozer | ||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||
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| 19,200 civilians killed | ||||||
The Zalluabed civil war is an ongoing multi-sided conflict in Zalluabed which began on August 20th, 2023 when the Royal Zalluabed Defense Forces under the command of General Saahir Salim ousted the democratically-elected government of President Husani Antar in a coup and took control of the capital Zakaraban. Antar fled to Albarine while Salim consolidated power, and pro-Antar rebels organized under the "Free Zalluabed Movement" (Feyt Zalluabed Ayat) began a series of armed resistance campaigns to oppose Salim's rule. Rebel forces successfully seized several vital cities like Kurdajar, Tuim, and Abaronah, while conducting guerilla warfare in most major urban centers. On October 23rd, a TTPA coalition of 23,000 troops led by Nebetia, Peoratia, and Buckingla arrived in Zalluabed to support Salim's forces. On October 26th, Salim was killed in a Zamastanian drone strike, and two days later former-President Zayyaan al-Akhtar was assassinated by a FZA gunman.
On November 26th, a series of drone attacks against ports in the Tarijar Strait by the forces of Suhaib el-Dar Moussa led to WEDA and the ANS building up their forces in the Emmiria Sea, and the government in Zakaraban now led by Jirhanu Bjyala declaring el-Dar Moussa a traitor. El-Dar Moussa and the regional governors of Qahaza, Tuim, and Gan on November 28th declared the creation of the People's Republic of Qahaza and announced their autonomy from Zalluabed. After drone attacks pummeled Saint Raneau on November 30th, WEDA and the ANS began Operation Afton, which authorized member states to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over the PRQ, and to use "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians, which turned into a bombing campaign by the forces of WEDA and ANS against Kubani Unit military installations and vehicles. The TTPA, fearing being drawn into a regional war, removed Secretary General Fahid Abdullah, suspended Zalluabed's membership in the TTPA, and withdrew its military forces.
The international community has strongly condemned the regime and PRQ forces for attacks targeting civilian areas; the war has killed or injured an estimated 29,196 civilians. Allegations of persecution, torture, and genocide against ethnic and religious minorities, including Hisreans, Qahazi Catholics, and Batnas have been levied against both the regime and PRQ. The CCA Security Council has convened multiple times to address the war, and the end of the Haduastan War refocused international attention to Zalluabed in December 2023. Ceasefire proposals have collapsed and peace talks have stalled. Proposals for CCA peacekeeping missions in Qahazar have been presented, though none have been approved.
Background
Coup
War
Timeline
2023
August
- August 19th - A gunman attempts to assassinate Husani Antar in the F'dahj district of Zakaraban.
- August 20th - Husani Antar declares his intention to lead Zalluabed's parliament to leave the TTPA. In response, the military under the command of Saahir Salim begins a coup against Antar's government, capturing federal buildings and detaining dozens of ministers. Buckingla places its military on high alert.
- August 22nd - Antar crosses into Albarine with refugees, appearing publicly in New Altai with Chancellor Sadie Melhaven, who grants his asylum.
September
October
- October 23rd - Pro-Antar forces capture two key neighborhoods on the outskirts of Zakaraban and begin massing their forces for an assault on the capital, prompting Nebetia, Peoratia, and Buckingla to begin sending troops to Zalluabed to back the military-led government in defense of the capital city.
- October 24th - More than 20,000 TTPA personnel have arrived in Zakaraban and begin setting up positions around the capital.
- October 25th - 16 Nebetian and 28 Peoratian soldiers are killed in clashes with rebels around Zakaraban. A convoy of TTPA military vehicles moving north from the capital to secure a power plant in the coastal town of Hajacari for government forces is attacked by rebels, resulting in heavy fighting, several destroyed vehicles, and high casualties. The rebel force was pushed into a retreat, but the TTPA losses forced the convoy to return to Zakaraban for resupply.
- October 26th - General Saahir Salim officially calls the conflict in Zalluabed a civil war as fighting erupts around the capital. He calls on the TTPA to send more forces to defend Zakaraban.
- October 27th - Saahir Salim is killed when a missile hits his convoy leaving the presidential palace in Zakaraban. Defense Minister Jirhanu Bjyala accuses Zamastan of carrying out the attack, and this is later publicly confirmed by the ZIS and President Sabine Armitage, who say that a drone targetted Salim after intelligence reports indicated he was planning to support a terrorist attack against WEDA forces in south Adula. Foreign Minister Nashat el-Yusef calls the assassination of Salim "a declaration of war", but later backtracks and says "we don't seek war, only that these actions justify our stance to strike back if we are threatened further... we do not seek war and we will not strike back, but we will if they act further."
- October 28th - Former-President Zayyaan al-Akhtar is assassinated by a gunman in Zakaraban, who then detonates a suicide vest, killing 20 others. Defense Minister Jirhanu Bjyala assumes control of the interim government following Salim and al-Akhtar's killings, and says that the increasing attacks point to coordinated campaigns by pro-Antar "terrorists" to take out the pro-military leadership.
November
- November 6th - Feyt Ayat captures Kurdajar, the second-largest city in Zalluabed after weeks of clashes.
- November 7th - A Nebetian military plane is shot down while taking off from Zakaraban, killing 11.
- November 12th - A Zamastanian drone is shot down over the Emmiria Sea by an RZDF IL9-Ibis.
- Novemebr 15th - Quetanan warship QNAV Carlos de Sá shoots down a RZDF drone.
- November 21st - Nebetian and RZDF forces capture the town of Awiyah, just outside Zakaraban, effectively ending rebel campaigns to seize the city for the time being.
- November 23rd - RZDF and TTPA forces capture the southern coastal city of Abaronah, seizing the southeastern Benel province for the military-led government.
- November 25th - RZDF IL9-Ibis fighter jets mistakenly hit a TTPA column, killing 8 Nebetian soldiers.
- November 26th - The forces of General Suhaib el-Dar Moussa, operating out of the Qahazar peninsula, carry out a series of drone strikes across the Tarijar Strait, prompting WEDA and the ANS to consider retaliatory strikes. Jirhanu Bjyala states that el-Dar Moussa had acted on his own and condemned the attacks as traitorous, but warns against military retaliation. El-Dar Moussa is subsequently stripped of his rank and command, but he and his forces continue their campaign to seize control of Qahaza, now operating against both the military and the FZA rebels.
- November 28th - El-Dar Moussa declares the formation of the People's Republic of Qahaza. Albarinean forces shoot down a series of drones fired towards New Altai. Husani Antar forms a government in exile, declaring that he is supporting the efforts of the Feyt Ayat rebels. WEDA Secretary General Damian Levasseur says that WEDA is capable of intervening in "both Haduastan and Zalluabed if it comes to it," warning Moussa against further antagonism.
- November 29th - A clash between RZDF and Feyt Ayat fighters in southern Benel province spillsover into Togaria, killing two civilians. Togaria places their military on high alert, with President Zophar Lawson stating "Given the gravity of what has happened ... the Togarian authorities have informed the Zalluabedis of their extreme indignation and demand measures to put an immediate stop to these violations."
- November 30th - Drones fired from the Qahazar peninsula hit Saint Raneau, the Albarinean capital, killing more than 60 people including foreigners at the embassies of Saint Offeat, Besmenia, and Greater Normark. WEDA and ANS forces begin Operation Afton, an aerial campaign aimed at destroying the capabilities of the PRQ to wage attacks against maritime and civilian interests in the Tarijar Strait and Emmiria Sea.
December
- December 1st - A Caspiaan Z-11 Eagle is shot down near Tuim.
- December 16th - Feyt Ayat rebels begin an assault on Tuim, attempting to push the Kubani Unit from the city. They are backed by WEDA and ANS aerial support.
- December 21st - Peace talks in the Mist Carthara Islands collapse after the RZDF refuses to enter into a ceasefire with Feyt Ayat. Feyt Ayat rebels had been prepared to end their campaign against the military-led Zakaraban government if considerations for their autonomous administration of the Taman and Kukhuti provinces were honored. The Zakaraban government's conditions were that Feyt Ayat and the WEDA/ANS aerial coalition should end their campaign against the PRQ, and that proposals for a CCA peacekeeping mission should not be approved.
- December 22nd - RZDF airstrikes against Feyt-Ayat controlled Kurdajar kill 118 people.
- December 29th - Togarian tanks enter southern Zalluabed after a brief cross-border skirmish with the RZDF.
2024
January
- January 2nd - WEDA and Feyt Ayat enter a pact in which WEDA will provide training and equipment for the rebels and back the creation of a CCA peacekeeping force and the endorsement of an internationally-mandated ceasefire.
- January 3rd - Incoming CCA Secretary General Sylvain Buzitu issues his support for a ceasefire and peacekeeping mission, and travels to the Mist Cartharas to delegate peace talks between Feyt Ayat and Zakaraban.
- January 4th - Jirhayu Bjyala meets with Feyt Ayat representatives in Ninea Point to discuss a possible ceasefire.
- January 8th - The CCA Security Council approves the creation of a peacekeeping force and an internationally recognized ceasefire line between RZDF and Feyt Ayat-held territory.
- January 20th - A ceasefire is agreed to between the RZDF and FZA after a month of talks in the Mist Carthara Islands. Feyt Ayat spokespersons said that they would continue to negotiate for an autonomous governing region during the ceasefire, similar to the authority granted to the HPLF in the 2021 Osea Accords for Hisrea. As the ceasefire was implemented, the first deployments of CCA peacekeepers arrive in Zalluabed, taking up their positions and forming checkpoints along agreed-to routes and specifically along the de-facto border of southern Qahazar.
- January 25th - The PRQ launches a barrage of missiles and drones at southern Emmiria, with most shot down but some damage to port facilities reported.
- January 30th - 2 CCA peacekeepers are killed in a PRQ rocket attack.
- January 31st - A PRQ skiff pulls alongside the CSS Audun Alstad and explodes, killing 68 people including 52 refugees attempting to board the ship and 16 Caspiaan sailors.
February
March
- March 16th - The FZA captures Tuim after months of fighting.
- March 18th - 91 people are killed in a PRQ militia attack at a hospital in Warisyt, within the CCA ceasefire line.
April
- April 22nd - Operation Afton formally concludes, with WEDA and ANS forces ending their air campaign over Qahazar. The RZDF continues its advance against the PRQ-held city of Kubani.
- April 26th - Representatives of the FZA attend a diplomatic summit in Saint Raneau, seeking recognition of independence backed by multiple governments. Representatives of Albarine, New Elkland, Quetana, Emmiria, and Zamastan state that while they support autonomous governing of territory held by the FZA since the January ceasefire agreement (similar to the status of Hisrea), they cannot implement immediate recognition of statehood.