The Saharan Confederate Expanse (SYAE Factbook) [Archive]

Amazonian Beasts

17-03-2007, 22:48

A History of the Confederacy

Africa has long been the cradle of man, the birthplace of humanity as a species, as a race, as sentients. From Kenya and the savannas, Africa was the first place of man's rise, from the early Saharan farmers to the Egyptian pharoahs. Northwest Africa has often been a locale of turmoil-the slave trade was prevalent in the west of Africa, the Songhai and Mali Empires both rose and fell, piracy reigned during the 1700s and 1800s, and battles have been fought. Recent history, however, has come with similar price, yet far more stability and prosperity.

Following the collapse of the Songhai Empire, Northwest Africa broke into many component parts, nations such as Algeria, Mali, and Ghana arising from the ashes to lead small spheres of influence. European predominance reigned throughout the late 1800s as the "Race for Africa" ensued-Northwest Africa drew primarily on French and English roots. As World War I ensued, Africa became overlooked, as the European powers receded from Northwest Africa. During this time, the rise to power of one nation-Mali-began.

Mali has long been the forerunner of Northwest Africa. It was the most powerful (not largest, however) of the early Saharan Empires, and had a strong military and economy before its collapse. After the chaos of World War I, Europe looked to internal rebuilding and overlooked the power build-up of the state of Mali. At the time, Algeria-considered by the government and people of Mali at the time as the primary rival-was too strong for takeover. Mali had obtained its own religion and practices over the 19th century, and viewed the primarily-Muslim Algiera as a state of heathens. It was the eventual goal.

However, Mali's Imperial government under Emperor Toutozo Utomaba was smart enough to realize that its Southern cousins would be far easier to consume before moving on Algeria. Mauritania and Morocco were at the time still European-controlled, and therefore to be left alone. Mali's first advance came on August 9th, 1919-a day now celebrated in Confederate history-in a large, surprise attack on western neighbor Senegal. This would open up sea access to Mali as well as draw upon Senegal's already growing economic wares during the time. The attack was easily a success-Senegal's government had overlooked Mali's build-up-and the conquest was over in less than a month. The nation was small, and Mali's attacking army, far greater than the armies of Senegal, easily overwhelmed the smaller numbers. The Gambia, inside Senegal, was now trapped on 3 sides. Its takeover came even quicker, with a one-week campaign that executed a geographic pincer movement.

Utomaba now put plans on hold. As the 20s rolled around, Mali still waited, patiently buying several naval cruisers and beginning to eye more Southern conquest. Guinea-Bissau at the time was experiencing a rebel movement, one powerful enough to divert attention. The Utomaba secretly contacted the Bissau rebels, offering them Mali support against the Guinea Bissau government. The rebels hastily accepted, and the two groups overran the nation with ease. Utomaba betrayed the rebels as both groups met at the capital, gunning down the rebel leader and slaughtering the rebel army with sheer numbers.

With Northwest Africa beginning to take note, Utomaba now began to move faster. He wanted to acquire all of non-European Northwest Africa-which would extend from Senegal to Algeria to Cameroon. Mali had the numbers only matched by Niger and surpassed by Algeria, so Southern neighbors continued to be the prey. Over the next six years, Utomaba began a series of lightning wars, launching attacks and conquering nations Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, French-supported Ivory Coast (which included the repulse of a French counterattack at the Ivory Coast-Liberia border-a massive victory for the Mali forces), Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. With an Empire growing, Utomaba turned on Nigeria.

Nigeria was a fortified locale, under the protection of Cameroon at this stage-1927 (more of a puppet than protectorate). Utomaba signed a truce with Niger, guarenteeing peace (beneficial to both sides-Utomaba didn't want an attack on his rear, while Niger was having its own problems), while he attacked the western front of Nigeria. Early attacks were highly successful, but the Mali army was finally stopped after years of conquest at the coastal city of Lagos.

Lagos was already a prospering city-not the powerful center it would become, but prosperous and large. Cameroon forces stood en masse at the Lagos walls, rebuffing Mali artillery and sinking one of the Mali cruisers. The Battle of Lagos laster over two years as over a million casulties mounted combined, both sides paying in blood. As both Cameroon and Mali began to tire at the fight, Utomaba threw his final ace in the conflict.

During the night of October 4th, 1929, an elite force of Mali commandos scaled the battered Lagos walls, infiltrating the city after a small firefight with wall sentinels. They opened the gates to the Mali forces, and the waves of the invaders poured in. Cameroon soldiers tried to hold off the tide, but the feeling of already being inside the target was too much-the city was taken in a matter of hours as the Mali tide swept over it. Within six weeks of the victory, Nigeria was in Mali hands.

Both Cameroon and Mali were tired of the war between the two nations. On June 16th, 1931, both nations signed a peace treaty in the rebuilding Lagos, guarenteeing a ten-year peace with options of extending that peace another seventy years at that point.

With the Southern front accomplished, and truce-partner Niger to the East, Mali had only one place to go-North. Utomaba, now approaching age fifty, bided his time as Europe began to cave in during the mid 1930s, and war broke out in 1939. In 1941 and '42, as the African front raged in Algeria, Utomaba decided to make his move in Southern Algeria.

Germany at this point was getting ousted from the African front, while British and American forces moved through quickly, not noticing the immense African buildup at Alegeria's Southern border. On the night of January 5th, 1942, Mali launched a giant invasion of Algeria-but were repulsed by Algerian forces just ten kilometers into the country. Not expecting resistance, Utomaba threw in more forces to double the army group-launching a massive five-year war.

With the rest of the world focused on European and Pacific affairs, Northern Africa was ablaze with fire and blood. Mali daily threw artillery strikes against Algiera, both sides losing men and forces in the thousands per week. Millions of shells flew through the blue African sky, sand that had laid undisturbed for centuries thrown up from artillery craters. By June 6th, 1944, Mali had made progress through three quarters of the Algieran land.

Northern Algeria proved the hardest obstacle to overcome, however. Over a period of two and a half years, Mali and Algerian forces fought back and forth across the Algerian front, more lives lost in bloody fighting. Europe, not looking to be caught in another war, avoided the African fight altogether. Over early 1947, the tides began moving in Mali's favor as the African attacks on Algiera picked up the pace, new waves of infantry flowing against the tired Algerian defenders. The Battle of Algiers began on March 2nd, 1947, as a massive artillery barrage levelled the opening city defenders.

Within 24 days, the battle was over and Algeria had sued for peace. On this day, Utomaba declared the Empire complete. He renamed the Mali Empire into the Saharan Confederate Expanse, though little government change took place. Upon Utomaba's death four years later, however, major political change began.

A civil war opened up in 1949, between Utomaba's son, Mofi, and army general Relini Warofo. Warofo had the majority of the military behind him, and after several crushing defeats of Mofi's army, assumed control within a year. A considerably fairer ruler, Warofo assembled the Confederate Senate, a legislative body, and began to make a judicial system somewhat based on the system of the United States. This work collapsed in his death in 1954, but the Senate stayed on.

After Warofo's death, the Hierarch Triumvirate was established. Consisting of the highest of the Religious, Military, and Economic Castes, the Triumvirate became the executive branch of the Expanse. The three leaders shared power-when one died, the highest of the caste still alive took the dead leader's place in an endless cycle. The three Hierarchs have ruled since, sharing power between them. The Confederate Senate still has the power to block actions of the Hierarchs, and a Prime Minister has some control over matters as well.

The biggest test to the new Confederacy came July 1968. In a state of relative calm for over fifteen years, new hostility from longtime rival Cameroon was shocking to the SCE. As Cameroon troops surged into Nigeria District of the Expanse-now the second-most important provice, as it contained the Senate and major government locales-the Hierarchs from Bamako ordered a full retaliatory assault against Cameroon. While Expanse troops held the invading Cameroon troops to a standstill, a massive assault of over fifty thousand Expanse soldiers and armor entered Cameroon and began a large-scale assault. Cameroon quickly withdrew its invading troops, and held off the invading Saharans, but by that time a defense at the Nigerian border had been properly established. As the Cameroon forces tried again, they were cut down in an extensive slaughter. Cameroon sued for peace a week later.

During the Cold War, the Saharan Confederacy was notorious for working with both sides of the conflict, but mainly with the Warsaw Pact. Declaring the SCE nuetral, the Triumvirate managed to obtain a decent amount of Soviet weaponry to defend from potential aggression or compliance with nearby NATO nations. As the Cold War diffused in 1990, the Confederacy maintained a policy of military neutrality but economic open-handedness, working with anyone with money. The economy and society of the Expanse began to flourish as a result.

The modern Expanse is a large tourist destination, and large influxes of white refugees from Cold War and World War II have created a mixed racial nation, though still primarily African. However, substantial amounts of English, American, German, Austrian, and French immigrants have expanded Saharan culture. Though the national religion is Songhai-the religion established during the early Mali days-it is no longer mandated as to be officially practiced by all, and freedom of religious preferance is maintained.

The modern SCE prizes its military, and looks to grow to be one of the preeminant military forces in the continent, though looks after its economic growth-strong as of recent-as a high priority. Though some in the smaller districts-in particular, the Gambia and Guinea-live in substandard conditions, the more prosperous districts such as Mali, Nigeria, and Burkina exist in well-off surroundings. A new period of internationalism is upon the Saharan Expanse, as the Triumvirate looks to expand SCE looks across the globe.

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