The Charfopian Civil War

Eleventh Era

The Charfopian Civil War was a three-way conflict between the Government of the Republic of Charfopia, the Nationalist Army of Charfopia and the Charfopian People's Council. The war was also a proxy war between NaVI Navthania and the Purple Entente. The Navthanian War raged throughout the Charfopian Civil War. As well as involving the countries already fighting in the Navthanian War, the Charfopian Civil War involved intervention by several neutral countries.'''   The Charfopian Civil War is considered as a war in its own right, but also as part of the Navthanian War, due to its crucial role in defeating the NaVI’s “NavthReich”. It is widely believed that had the axis been successful in capturing Charfopia, they would have stood a good chance of defeating the Entente.

Background information
Throughout the tenth era, Charfopia was a country plagued by division between those stereotyped as urban cosmopolitans who favoured the country's membership of the Triad Pact, and those stereotyped as rural working class who felt Triad Pact membership was a plot by Anjelikland to exploit Charfopia's resources. Actual analysis of the economic reality shows that Triad exploitation of Charfopia was going on, but it was, in fact, the Gwiffish to blame.

When war broke out between Anjelikland, and Charfopia's old trading partner Navthania, it quickly lead to fighting on Charfopian streets. However, the government was able to take control and delay a civil war. Eventually, a fierce debate over who to support in the war began. This led to the “Choice of Conscience” act which would allow individuals to donate to either side of the Navthanian-Anjelik War. Charfopia's capitalist class, in awe of how the NaVIs had crushed all worker's rights in their own country, quickly funnelled billions to the Navthreich, while the newspapers they owned worked day and night to convince the Charfopian working class it was the Anjelik who sought to destroy their freedom.

It was this decision that provoked Anjelikland, Ketkistan and Ellenasia to successfully stage a coup and impose martial law in Charfopia.

Meanwhile, in the Navthanian war, the NaVI government in Hextstephensgrad was powerlessly watching their rapid advance into Anjelikland and Ketkistan turn into a bloody stalemate. After several failed attempts to break the Entente's lines, they realised a new front had to be opened. Navthania gathered her special forces and sent them on a secret trail; Around pro-entente Gwiffindor through Ladrigia, sailing from Jeevothia to Sophrowanda disguised as civilian convoys and then travelling through the MGU to Theoceania. Here, the Theoceanian army would escort them, under the cover of night, to the Anyastani mountains, in south-east Charfopia, where they would plan an uprising with the Anyastani Resistance Army, promising them independence in return for help to oust the Anjelik.

A year passed, the Entente had pushed Navthania back slightly, and both sides of the Navthanian war begin building trenches for the coming winter. This is when the Nationalist Army of Charfopia chose to rise.

The War
Across the country, militias in secret hideouts outside cities began to match on their undefended centres. This was effective at first, but soon the Charfopian military would mobilise. Only about one in five divisions defected to the rebels and the military of the pro-Anjelik Republic would begin its campaign of slowly liberating the country's cities with little difficulty.

Soon, however, a third faction would gain control of several elite military divisions around the capital Harfopolis. The Charfopian People's Council captured the city and began to push the republicans out of its suburbs and into the northern countryside, where at night, Republican forces would be bombarded by the Reganasian air force.

Although they had declared war on both other faction, the council put more effort into fighting the republicans. Along council-nationalist borders, both sides were focused simply on holding the line while growing in strength.

For a brief time, it looked like the People's Council might have a chance of uniting Charfopia. They had gained some international support, including from Burgessland, because of their promise to crush both communism and fascism and keep Charfopia centrist. The dream of council victory, however, was destroyed when they were brutally blitzed by a renewed nationalist army. The Entente were quick to react and managed to reach the nationalists at Harfopolis in the nick of time. Secondly, Ellenasia invaded Becchollandia, who surrendered in just two weeks, in order to reach Nationalist Charfopia and take the fight to them on a second front. Ellenasia took control of Southern Becchollandia while the north remained independent. Despite being in the south, the Holy Free city of Primo Cannir was spared from Ellenasian rule.

Once they reached Nationalist Charfopia, the Ellenasians ran into difficulty. Over-confident but also depleted because of how quickly they had stormed through Becchollandia, they were no match for the Anyastani militants who knew the terrain well. The Ferret armoured cars, lend leased from Gwiffindor, which Ellenasia chose to use for this mission, where easy defeated by the ARA's guerilla forces.

Soon however, the tide would turn in favour of the republicans and their entente backers. It took months, but Nikatovaprix and Myramia succeeded in implementing tight controls on the gulf of Myranporir, preventing Navthanian forces from sailing to Sophrowanda. Theoceania were ordered to stop helping the nationalists by their then close ally Bristonia, after nationalist forces obliterated the Bristonian-backed Charfopian People's Council. These factors would eventually be too much for nationalist Charfopia, and around nine out of every ten of their divisions would run out of supply and be forced to surrender. Anjelik rule across most of Charfopia was restored. The ARA and most extreme elements of the Nationalist Army fought on for seven months in the mountains, before disbanding. Their most skillful guerillas would stay active for years.

Aftermath
The Anjelik rule over Charfopia until the end of the Navthanian war was brutal. Food was extracted from the country leading to mass famine. A hundred thousand already war-weary men and women were drafted into the Anjelik army just to find food to survive. The famine was also partially caused by a radical two-year land reform plan implemented by the Joviet Union, who were called in early in the Charfopian Civil War to top-up the manpower depleted Entente military. During and after the Charfopian Civil War, Joviet forces were given free reign to slaughter the Charfopian upper classes, which they did with the same enthusiasm with which they had massacred the Jovian bourgeois.

Joviet and then Entente forces would slowly withdraw from Charfopia and the nation would transition back to democracy soon after. Anyastani independence would follow. Today, Charfopia has good relations with Navthania and even better ones with Anjelikland. In fact, the two countries are each other's top trading partners. After years of propaganda, Charfopian schools are beginning to teach Anjelik war crimes along side Navthanian ones. This however has not dented relations between the countries. Unlike the Navthanian War, which is glorified in popular culture, especially in Joduerdor, the Charfopian Civil War is remembered as the country's darkest hour. The desire not to recreate the polarisation that led to the conflict has led to an increasingly united and confident Charfopia in modern times.