Victoria News & Actions

[Sabriel]

March 19, 1953

Denizens of Dar es Salaam were awoken early Thursday to the sound of low flying aircraft and armoured vehicle engines. The sounds presaged the arrival of the 7th Infantry Corps, under the command of Lieutenant General Akinyi. General Akinyi had previously been deployed along the central border, where conflict is expected with the so called Victoria Republic.

Soldiers of the 7th have taken up positions on many of Dar es Salaam’s streets, and military checkpoints have been erected. Several major roadways have been closed to general traffic. It is unclear what objective General Akinyi is pursuing, and military officials refused to comment.

***
March 21, 1953

Reports of gunfire began arriving late in the afternoon. Streets that had been closed by the 7th Infantry Corps became scenes of violence, with military forces loyal to General Akinyi and those loyal to Prime Minister Arlin clashing repeatedly. Loyalist security forces held at the government offices, and the rail station. General Akinyi’s forces took control of the port and financial offices.

General Akinyi has issued a broad call to action, declaring that the nation must be liberated from foreign influence. It is unclear whether she has wide support among the military.

Citizens are advised to stay in their homes until further notice.

***
March 25, 1953

Fighting between former Prime Minister Arlin’s forces, and those loyal to the coalition of Generals, has begun to die down. The coalition’s forces took control of the majority of the government’s offices in fighting that went late into the night, and reportedly captured the majority of the Prime Minister’s government. It is currently unknown if Prime Minister Arlin was among those captured, but all indications are that his government has been successfully overthrown.

Though the coup began as an action undertaken by General Akinyi, several other major military figures joined the struggle for control of Dar Es Salaam. The majority of the nation’s military forces quickly aligned against Prime Minister Arlin. Several civilian groups, agitating for independence from the United Kingdom, threw their support behind the efforts of General Akinyi’s coalition.

***
March 27, 1953

The provisional government has confirmed that former Prime Minister Arlin was among those killed in the fighting that rocked Dar es Salaam over the last week. The 7th Infantry Corps controls the city’s streets, and has enforced martial law. A curfew is in effect, and those found to be endangering the peace are subject to military justice.

The provisional government, currently consisting of a council of Generals and civil leaders, has indicated that special elections will be held within two months.

***
March 29, 1953

The leading figure of the provisional government, Lieutenant General Akinyi of the 7th Infantry Corps, has been declared the monarch of the nation. Declaring the nation to be the East African Kingdom, Queen Akinyi laid out a vision for the future that includes reunification with other territories that had been held by the United Kingdom. The new monarchy maintains that elections will be held as scheduled, and that the Kingdom will function as a constitutional monarchy.

Marshal law continues in Dar es Salaam.

[Sabriel]

June 24, 1953

Vote tallying in the special election ordered by the provisional government has concluded. The vote gives Michael Osano’s Traditional Alliance a strong position to form a coalition. Mister Osano is the likely new First Minister of the Kingdom, though Queen Akinyi is the final arbiter of who takes that position. Exit polls indicate that 52% of eligible voters participated in the election, a number well short of the government’s hoped for 66%.

***
June 28, 1953

Michael Osano, head of the Traditional Alliance, has accepted Queen Akinyi’s invitation to take the post of First Minister. Mister Osano’s party forged a coalition with the National Union, Swahili Union, and Victoria’s Legion, to secure a slim majority of votes in the Senate. The opposition parties were unable to form a coalition with enough votes to overtake Mister Osano’s Queen’s Union coalition.

[Sabriel]

November 15, 1955

Queen Akinyi approved a legislative package sent to her by the Senate. The package includes a significant investment of government funds in the Kingdom’s infrastructure, with a particular focus on the major ports. Proponents of the plan believe it will make East Africa a more enticing trade partner for the other nations of the world that have come out of quarantine. Opponents believe that the funds would be better spent on things such as education.

Attached to the package is a defence spending bill, which includes funding for a new fleet of naval warships. The spending bill increases the size of the Kingdom’s Army, as well as providing funds for the modernization of the technology being used by East Africa’s servicemen.


OOG: Spending points.
Armour: 2
Artillery: 1
Mechanized: 2
Industry: 15
Submarines: 1
Warships, Heavy: 2
Warships, Medium: 2

[Sabriel]

April 7, 1956

Citing an increase in tensions across the world, with multiple conflicts igniting between nations newly emerged from quarantine, the Royal Army Maritime Service has ordered the construction of additional naval warships. These vessels are slated to be ready for service by 1958.

OOC: Spending 2 points on Warships, Light. 2 points on Warships, Coastal. 1 point on Submarines, Conventional.

[Sabriel]

January 1st, 1957

A global poll and survey was released at the end of last year that places East Africa’s literacy in the lower 60th percentile for nations that have emerged from quarantine. This statistic has been condemned by the office of Queen Catharine, who decry it as a lingering impact of the former colonial regime.

Queen Catharine herself has been quoted as saying, “We, as a people, are capable of so much more than this. I will not allow our nation to fester and wallow in mediocrity when we can take simple steps to improve ourselves.” Her office followed up on her quote by releasing a plan to invest $252 million in creating a national public library system.

[Sabriel]

May 28th, 1957

The Royal Army Maritime Service has ordered the construction of a series of aircraft carriers. One CFS-55 class heavy carrier and three CFS-46 light carriers are to be constructed at the shipyards in Dar Es Salaam. The CFS-55 is expected to be completed in 1960, while the CFS-46's are expected to be completed in 1959.

[Sabriel]

The Royal Army Pilot Service has, after lengthy review of the performance of its aircraft in the conflict over Nairobi, ordered significant upgrades to its hardware. The upgrades will replace all current fighter aircraft by 1963.

OOG: Rebuilding all 20 points of fighters.

[Sabriel]

With the conclusion of hostilities in Uganda, the East African Armed Forces have rotated all damaged units to the core of the Kingdom’s territory for replenishment and repair.

OOG: Rebuilding 2 points Fighters, 1 point Infantry, 1 point Militia. Repairing 1 point Militia, 1 point Infantry, 2 points Fighters.

[Sabriel]

[Classified]
The RAMS has begun construction of advanced facilities at the island complexes of the Kerguelens and Maldives. Facilities will include a standard barracks, hangar and air base facilities, and port facilities. Both bases will also host OTH radars and VLF+ELF equipment. Base facilities will be complete by 1959. OTH facilities will be complete by 1960, as will VLF equipment. ELF equipment is expected to be completed in 1961.

Construction is to begin on a missile launch and test site near Mombasa. The facility will be functional by 1960.

[Sabriel]

A special election was held following the execution of the traitor Senators at the Kampala memorial site. Voter turnout was extremely low and the opposition party, many of whose political leadership died at Kampala, suffered crushing defeats. The Queen's Union political alliance remains dominant.

Following the results of the election, Queen Catharine al Victoria has declared that East Africa will now be known as Victoria.