09-12-2003, 08:44
Dateline, Maraka City------Thousands lined up in the streets outside the capital today in protest to the Republic's occupation of war-torn Somalia. Clamoring at the gates of the capital city, a crowd spent all day milling about. Popular folk songs were played while the protesters chanted, demanding the removal of troops from the capital of Mogadishu. As dusk fell, the crowd quietly dispersed.
For those uninformed, Maraka has maintained a presence in Somalia for many weeks now. The advanced army, with the equipment and training of a Western power, has decimated Somali resistence. The warring clans failed to unite in the face of Maraka's invasion, and have been beaten back to the western and northern fringes of the nation. Most enemy fighters are believed to have fled to Ethiopia or Kenya, and cross the border in regular raids. These guerilla attacks have sent a steady stream of casualties home. Since the occupation of Mogadishu, slightly over five hundred infantrymen have died. For those interested, two thirds of these infantry casualties are African. Eight Arabs of the Officer Corps have died in the campaign.
The Sultan has insisted that Maraka must remain firm to its commitment. Abu Zani's Capitalist Party maintains a stranglehold on the Parliement, giving the Sultan virtual control of the Laws. This arrangement was fine with the bulk of the populace, until Anti-Labor Laws all but disbandoned African and Robot labor unions. Although conditions for the proletariat have grown worse in recent months, these reforms have taken Maraka's economy from weak to thriving. The Sultan has sworn these reforms are temporary, until Maraka's economy improves.
For those uninformed, Abu Zani is the nephew of the old Sultan, God rest his soul. Although only thirty four years of age, he was the Sultan's Minister of Finance, until a plane crash killed the old Sultan. Zani's claim to the throne was not as strong as the Sultan's half-brother, Fahd ibn Faisal, but Faisal himself died a few months later of heart failure. Zani therefore became the youngest Sultan in modern history, and has enacted sweeping anti-labor reforms in attempts to bolster Maraka's economy. Under his rule, organized crime on the part of Skaven Clan-Families has increased, and social programs to aid those below the poverty line have stymied. On the other hand, Maraka's military and economy are stronger then ever, the Republic now leading its region in the production of Communications Technology. Maraka's ailing space program has been revitalized, and Marakan space colonies in earth, lunar, and martian orbit now hold the bulk of our population.
His most significant changes, internationally, is Zani's attempts to expand Maraka's political influence. As he has said, Maraka must cease "looking inward," and to this end he has become an aggressive force in African politics. This has led to the occupation of Mogadishu, otherwise known as Operation Somali Salvation. Under the protective shield of the Marakan People's Horde, Somali citizens who were formally starving are now fed and given shelters. Repair efforts have been undertaken on Mogadishu since the city's occupation.
Zani has promised that if the Somalian experiment is succesful, other impoverished and troubled nations of Africa can expect Maraka to extend a hand to suffering peoples across the continent.
For those uninformed, Maraka has maintained a presence in Somalia for many weeks now. The advanced army, with the equipment and training of a Western power, has decimated Somali resistence. The warring clans failed to unite in the face of Maraka's invasion, and have been beaten back to the western and northern fringes of the nation. Most enemy fighters are believed to have fled to Ethiopia or Kenya, and cross the border in regular raids. These guerilla attacks have sent a steady stream of casualties home. Since the occupation of Mogadishu, slightly over five hundred infantrymen have died. For those interested, two thirds of these infantry casualties are African. Eight Arabs of the Officer Corps have died in the campaign.
The Sultan has insisted that Maraka must remain firm to its commitment. Abu Zani's Capitalist Party maintains a stranglehold on the Parliement, giving the Sultan virtual control of the Laws. This arrangement was fine with the bulk of the populace, until Anti-Labor Laws all but disbandoned African and Robot labor unions. Although conditions for the proletariat have grown worse in recent months, these reforms have taken Maraka's economy from weak to thriving. The Sultan has sworn these reforms are temporary, until Maraka's economy improves.
For those uninformed, Abu Zani is the nephew of the old Sultan, God rest his soul. Although only thirty four years of age, he was the Sultan's Minister of Finance, until a plane crash killed the old Sultan. Zani's claim to the throne was not as strong as the Sultan's half-brother, Fahd ibn Faisal, but Faisal himself died a few months later of heart failure. Zani therefore became the youngest Sultan in modern history, and has enacted sweeping anti-labor reforms in attempts to bolster Maraka's economy. Under his rule, organized crime on the part of Skaven Clan-Families has increased, and social programs to aid those below the poverty line have stymied. On the other hand, Maraka's military and economy are stronger then ever, the Republic now leading its region in the production of Communications Technology. Maraka's ailing space program has been revitalized, and Marakan space colonies in earth, lunar, and martian orbit now hold the bulk of our population.
His most significant changes, internationally, is Zani's attempts to expand Maraka's political influence. As he has said, Maraka must cease "looking inward," and to this end he has become an aggressive force in African politics. This has led to the occupation of Mogadishu, otherwise known as Operation Somali Salvation. Under the protective shield of the Marakan People's Horde, Somali citizens who were formally starving are now fed and given shelters. Repair efforts have been undertaken on Mogadishu since the city's occupation.
Zani has promised that if the Somalian experiment is succesful, other impoverished and troubled nations of Africa can expect Maraka to extend a hand to suffering peoples across the continent.