Erusian Civil War
 | This article contains information pertaining to a fictional micronation, micronationalist or other fictional element of micronational society or culture. |
| Erusian Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Communist Rebels  SBBN |
Government Loyalists UMEJ | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Major Rebel Leaders Michelle Yui |
Major Loyalist Leaders
Carwyn Jenkins | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
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1 July 14 by some accounts; not recognised as a coup and thus civil war until that date. | |||||||
- Not to be confused with the Erusian Revolution, which arguably resulted in a brief civil war lasting merely hours, or with Operation Leningrad-III which Erusian which saw security services stage a false domestic conflict.
The Erusian Civil War, alternatively known as Operation Luxemburg or the July Coup, was a staged and totally fictional coup orchestrated by Robert Lethler.
It was a domestic conflict taking place in the Democratic People's Republic of Erusia between fictional rebel components of the National Unity Party and the fictional People's National Liberation Army, against the fictional democratic central government and components of the NUP and the Army that have remained loyal to it. The conflict began on July 13th 2010 when the Liberation Army carried out what is widely agreed to be a fictional military coup against the fictional government - less than a fortnight after the last general election. The legality of the coup was disputed.
The Liberation Army assumed control of the nation supposedly to carry out the provisions of the Proletarian Protection Act 2009, as part of a military action known as Operation Luxemburg, which calls on the Army to assume power - legally - in Erusia if the "Socialist constitutional order" is under "grave and immediate threat". The forced imposition of military rule came after the election of the first non-Communist government in Erusian history, which was promising a program of democratic and socio-economic reform that would have seen massive changes to the old Communist constitution of the nation. Though the Army claimed to have legal backing for its actions, Erusia's highest judicial authority has since ruled to the contrary.
Although the Army claimed to be acting in the interests of Socialism, the former Communist Party has been divided on the issue. Robert Lethler, the leader of the National Unity Party and the de facto leader of Erusia for much of its time under Communist rule, sided with the Government and proclaimed his Party's full support for the Democrats. The NUP, and its satellite support groups, have subsequently split on the issue. Both fictional sides in the conflict have demanded no other micronation enter the war, regarding it as a purely internal matter.
Background
End of Communist rule
From November 2008 until January 2010, the Democratic People's Republic was ruled by the Erusian National Communist Party and - very briefly - its immediate and legal successor the National Unity Party. For much of this time, Erusia was governed as a de facto single-party communist state, with the Communist Party holding absolute power, though limited democratic reform in December 2009 saw the restoration of free and fair multi-party elections. Despite having long enjoyed exceptional results at general elections, the National Unity Party was unexpectedly swept from power at the July 2010 General Election, which saw the Democratic Party of Erusia come to power with a landslide election victory.
Prior to this sudden change in government, the National Unity Party was widely seen to exercise de facto control over many different aspects of Erusian society, including the army, police, civil service and the judiciary - control it appeared extremely reluctant to surrender despite the Democratic election victory. In addition to a wide range of political reforms, the Democratic Party had promised to end Communist control over all of these areas in an effort to establish liberal democracy in Erusia. Prior to their election victory, Kai Roosevelt had led a conservative-moderate Communist coalition that promised to introduce more limited democratic reform, which had encountered staunch opposition from the People's National Liberation Army. Traditionally, the Army had been one of the Communist Party's instruments of power, seen to owe its loyalty to the hardline leaders of the Party. A number of important officials surrounding Robert Lethler had ties to the Liberation Army, and for a time, the Army was the easiest way for new citizens to launch their political careers.
Prelude to war
On July 10th, merely a week after the Democratic government had secured its historic victory at the polls, the People's National Liberation Army organised a military rally (reportedly with the consent but not the supervision of the National People's Executive Commission for State Defence). At this rally, the Army's Executive Commander - Comrade General S.G. Karolina Wilson, a long-time fictional political opponent of Robert Lethler - proclaimed the "undying loyalty" of the PNLA to the National Unity Party, with both Lethler and Yusuf Tehrani being in attendance at the rally with the permission of the Democratic government. Although it is now known that the Democratic Government saw this as a positive move that enabled the NUP's leadership to ensure the Army would not 'go rogue', a flurry of intermicronational condemnation - spearheaded by former NUP ally Marka Mejakhansk and supported chiefly by William Danforth - advised Lethler to issue a statement denouncing the Army's declaration.
Following Lethler's rejection of the Army's oath of loyalty, which he is reported to have made solely to avoid the loss of Nemkhavian Communist support for his party after a prolonged argument with Mejakhansk, relations between the Army and the leadership of the NUP collapsed virtually overnight. It is believed that the Army turned upon the leadership of the Party for rejecting the oath of loyalty, a move it considered to be a betrayal of the traditional strong Army-Party relationship, and relenting to foreign pressure when there was no apparent need to do so. According to the Democratic Government and experts on the Erusian political situation, the loss of NUP control over the Army was catastrophic for the Erusian political system, and made it possible for the Army to act autonomously against the wishes of its traditional masters.
Timeline of events
Beginning of hostilities
At 19:35 UTC on July 13th, the People's National Liberation Army officially dispatched an order to all of its personnel announcing that Operation Luxemburg - the former government's final contingency plan in the event of a counter-revolution - and directing them to take action according. Immediately, the majority of the Liberation Army set out to seize control of various organs of State power using information unlocked to its leaders by the activation of Operation Luxemburg, which had been introduced by Kai Roosevelt in January 2009 and had not been updated for nearly six months prior to the events of the night. It took the Army some 32 minutes to assume control of central government organs, creating a situation whereby the Central Command of the Army had supplanted the National People's Executive Committee and the National Military Court had become the temporary highest court of justice in the land.
Although the vast majority of the Liberation Army complied with the directives of Operation Luxemburg, a small band of PNLA personnel refused to comply with the Operation. This band of troops was led by long-time democracy sympathiser and former cabinet minister Commander Charles Ryan. Similarly, the leadership of the NUP was quick to reject the Army's action, its own offices and public assets having officially been seized by the Army. Though the Party itself divided on the matter, the majority of its leaders are now known to have sided almost immediately with the government in the conflict, though the division among general members appears to be more equal. Robert Lethler and Charles Ryan met with the Prime Minister, Katrina Walters, to discuss the Government's response and offer the support of their respective parts of Erusian society for the government.
The next morning, the military government issued arrest warrants for all thirteen members of the Democratic Parliamentary in addition to at least four senior Communists, including both Lethler and Ryan. Prominent liberal Communists, Gerald Goldstone and James Marshall, were also charged with crimes and had warrants issued for their arrest. Later that same day, Yusuf Tehrani (the nation's highest judge) ruled that the action the Army had undertaken was not in fact legal and that if the Liberation Army did not immediately stand down, it was guilty of launching an illegal coup against the State. In the final minutes of July 14th, Prime Minister Walters issued a statement in which she proclaimed that the Government would resist the coup, plunging Erusia into a state of civil war.
Intermicronational response
Support for Democratic Government ("Loyalists")
Joe Foxon (Republic of Wyke) This is not necessarily the view of the President, the National Assembly or the Government as a whole, only this specific person.
Grand Duke Niels I of Flandrensis condemned the military coup against the Erusian government. As a major opponent of micronational war, Flandrensis decided to remain neutral in the civil war. Nevertheless, the government of Flandrensis supported and recognized the legitimate government of Premier Katrina Walters as the sole Government of Erusia.
Starland claimed support for the legitimate government and strongly condemned the rebels and anyone who supported them. Starland nearly entered the conflict, but vetoed their declaration of war.
The Federal Imperial Republic of Eleytheria politically supported the legitimate government.
The Republic of Secundomia supported the legitimate government.
St.Charlie condemned the conflict as soon as it started. Premier Alexander Reinhardt, after consulting Deputy Prime Minister Heinrich Schneider and leader of the Opposition Magnus de Armis, condemned on the national broadcasting channel the actions of the Erusian rebels, describing them as "pathetic and sad". Reinhardt lated added that "a law cannot, and should never, go against the democratic will of the people who elected the Democratic government, and are now seeing their rights left in a corner". Two days after, James Lunam, Minister of Foreign Affairs, placed a diplomatic embargo on Erusia (later followed by A1), until the legitimate Government goes back to power. The St.Charlians also asked foreign governments not to intervene in the affairs of the DPRE, as a way to prevent "another Austenasian Civil War".
The Socialist Federal Republic of Nemkhavia completely condemned the actions of the People's National Liberation Army in several news stories and direct addresses from the President of the Presidium Marka Mejakhansk. While being vocal on the issue, the President worked to prevent other nations entering the war. The President had mistakenly believed that Robert Lethler was involved in the Rebel side, and subsequently apologised to him. The League of Communists of Nemkhavia have officially labeled the move by the Army as "counter to the best interests of the people".- Danesland- The government condemned the conflict but was technically in support of the legitimate Erusian government. The President has declared the war a "threat to the people and to all of Erusia". "Erusia has always been an intrest of mine. I may disagree with the new Erusian government politically, but that is no reason to side with the rebels on this conflict" said James Thomson. The president sided with St.Charlie in asking other nations to prevent "another Austenasian Civil War".
Democratic People's Republic of Sandus supported the Government following the information that Operation Luxembourg was authorized illegally.- Dorzhabad stood by its view that the democratic process was appeased, and that the PNLA has staged a, what can only be described as, a 'Coup', Dorzhabad will remain out of the conflict and urges other governments to not turn this into another Austenasian Civil war, luckily that has probabaly been diverted.
The DRCI supported the legal Government from the beginning. It came close to entering the war but the Declaration was Vetoed because of the impossibility of sending troops across the Atlantic. Later DRCI joined Starland in Placing Deplomatic Embargoes on the rebels and all nations who supported them.- Kingdom of Angador supports the legitimate government of Katrina Walters. The High King feels that even a monarch like himself knows that if the people want a democracy then they shall get it. Also the Kingdom has no interest in supporting the war with any military resources.
Support for Liberation Army ("Rebels")
- Democratic People's Republic of Sandus initially supported the Operation Luxembourg.
Union of South London Soviet Socialist Republics Has supported the freedom fighters since learning of the situation but military action in the conflict is still a hot topic within the government and the first attempt to enter it was met with a veto from the President.
Neutral
- Democratic People's Republic of Sandus has remained neutral since the Erusian Prime Minister severed ties with the DPRS.
Federal Republic of BlueSkies
United Provinces Under Chance
Caretaker President Leam Mark Farrar of The Federal Republic of Penrith has stated that the nation will remain netural during the civil war and will only change its decision once both of the nations to which have current diplomatic relations with Penrith make a decision
The Kingdom of Wyvern After finding out that Bradley had illegitimately supported the government, King Quentin I of Wyvern changed the official position to neutral.
Federal Republic of Los Bay Petros
