Bruuma's football team loses the final of the World Football Championship 

Delusion and pride were the dominating feelings in the crowded squares and stadiums all over Bruuma, as the football team lost the final of the competition against the host-team of GI-Land. While the defeat left a bitter feeling, many felt the need to celebrate anyway the journey of the football team, who made it that far quite unexpectedly. Also, football matches are one of the few occasion were the regime is - almost - lenient with partying.

(This post was last modified: 09-19-2018, 05:57 AM by VPRB.)

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Puerto Pollo launches a voluntary crop substitution plan to curb the harvest of coca


A coca farmer in Puerto Pollo. The island country is a major grower of coca and exporter of coca paste
 

 

Under mounting international pressure, Puerto Pollo has launched a voluntary crop substitution plan aimed at the coca farmers, who grow plentiful of the dreaded leaf on the hilly slopes in the interior of the island.

While the strategic location on the sea routes has made Puerto Pollo a key smuggling transit point, due to its tropical climate and four decades of corruption and political turmoil the country is also a major exporter of cocaine and, in lesser fashion, marijuana.

 

Coca has been cultivated in the country since ancient time for personal use, either chewing or tea, but starting from the Seventies began to be grown specifically for cocaine production. During the First Civil War, both rebels and the government either produced the drugs or taxed the traffickers as a mean to finance their military struggle; in the aftermath of the conflict the generals of both faction became drug lords and de facto ruled the country. Indeed, the catalyst for the Second Civil War was the discontent of former middle-rank combatants who found themselves cut off from the profits.

 

After four years of stable, if authoritarian, government under El Pollo Diablo, many nations are increasing their expectation that Puerto Pollo will stem its flow of narcotics. Coupled with the disruption of sea trade due to the Serevan War and the ambitions of the regime to make the country a prime tourist destination, Danjer Cove is finally taking the first step in doing something about it.

The plan, at least in theory, will provide the farmers who eradicate their coca plantations with cash crops plants, such as coffee or bananas, along with tools and subsides.

 

Some analysts believe that the government is sincere in its effort to legitimize its economy and that farmers will adhere significantly to the program, while others are most skeptical and warn the plan will only make drug trafficking less visible and more sophisticated.

(This post was last modified: 07-18-2018, 11:39 AM by VPRB.)

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Bruuma unveil new weapons at Armed Forces parade
 

Today, Bruuma held the annual Bruuman People’s Defence Forces Day parade in the capital Bayougrad. The regime took the chance to give a show of strength in the aftermath of the Serevan War and unveiled to the public three new weapons. The weapons seem to answer to the issues raised by the latest conflict, despite having been in development for at least a few years; this further the suspect that one of the reason for the dictatorship to get involved on Sereva was to test the BPDF operation capabilities before introducing the new weapons, probably to calculate how many it was in need to produce.  

 

Udarnik main battle tank

 

During the Serevan War, Bruuman armored division suffered devastating losses, especially in the Northern theater, as their heavy but obsolete tanks were overpowered by the new, technological ones on the other side.

 

The new Udarnik battle tank is the regime’s answer:  its firepower and precision, mobility, and battleground endurance, are comparable to the most state-of-the art of its kind in the world, meaning its service life will be the longest possible.

 

Among the tank’s features: electro-optical fire control system, laser-aided distance measurement capability, and the capability to strike either moving or fixed targets in both nighttime and daytime.

 

Due to the high costs of production, it is estimated that Bruuma will produce initially about a hundred exemplars, mostly destined to the elite Red Jujus.

 

Mobility proved to be one of the aces in the hole for the Bruuman Army in Sereva. Truck-mounted rocket artillery proved crucial to provide much needed firepower without sacrificing mobility.

 

An intuition that the BA must have had even before, as the new Krabrylev 122mm self-propelled gun proves.

 

It features a 122-millimeter howitzer, fitted with an automatic magazine loader, shorter combat readiness process, and remote activation capability. For stabilization purposes, the weapon is fitted with two hydraulic trails.

Volcano destroyer warship

 

The Bruuman Navy proved to be the BPDF’s Achilles heel during the war. The brown water Navy, design to protect the coasts of the island, found themselves lacking deeply in tonnage and firepower and was unable to confront enemy fleets. Only the Bruuman submarines proved themselves moderately useful in battle.

 

Now, the regime, in the military shipyard of New Orleansburg, has unveiled a new destroyer warship class: the Volcano. At least two Volcano ships are set to become operational later this year, but technical specification have not been divulged yet.

(This post was last modified: 10-21-2019, 11:27 AM by VPRB.)

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Puerto Pollo hosts the Banjo Dueling International Championship


Eduardo Del Santo, renowned Puerto Polloan banjo master whose "Melodia della Isla de Mono" was a minor internationl hit in the 90s.

Puerto Pollo is about to host its first Banjo Dueling International Championship. The initiative is part of a wider government plan to boost the tourism industry. Banjo has always been a popular instrument on the island and its introduction is credited to the pirates that founded Danjer Cove in 1690. The week-long championship will see both international and local banjo masters facing each other and will be sided with seminars, classes and a fair held in Plaza de la Revolucion in Danjer Cove.

(This post was last modified: 08-23-2018, 05:09 AM by VPRB.)

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Bruuma to restore colonial-era thermal baths for the tourism industry


The ruined structure of the Saint Michael thermal baths on Revolution Island. Restoration works should be already ongoing.

The Bruuman Ministry of Tourism have announced that it will restore the thermal baths on Revolution Island, to open them to tourists.
The baths were built in colonial times to exploit the hot springs present on the island, but most have been abandoned since independence. 
Revolution Island is the main touristic hub of Bruuma, and the move probably come as a way to diversify further the targets of the nation's touristic offer. 

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The Puerto Polloan Civil Wars: Part I


FARPP guerrillas, 1982

In the course of the next week we will retrace the bloody and bitter history of the two Puerto Polloan Civil Wars. Today we look at the background and the first phase of the first.

Background (1897 - 1979)
In 1897, the mestizo elite of Puerto Pollo took advantage of the weakness of the colonial motherland, weakened by a brief but costly war abroad, and declared independence. Aside from a couple of bloodeless coup and a short-lived peasant revolt, for the next fifty years Puerto Pollo remained politcally stable under a succession of authoritarian presidential government, expression of the elite of planters and traders. Economy was dominated by cash crops, chiefly coffee, cocoa and sugar, and the country lingered in undervelopment: it had no mineral resources or industries, the population was agrarian, poor and illitterate and the only sizeable town was the capital Danjer Cove.
Everything changed in 1946, when a group of Puerto Polloan intellectuals, educated abroad, returned home and founded the Communist Party of Puerto Pollo. The Party quickly gained the favour of the denfrachised masses, also through the large trade unions it founded and controlled. Its steady growht allarmed the ruling elite and in 1969, among mounting paranoia, right-wing hawks in the government launched a covert plan of sabotage and harrasment against the communists. The following years saw tension rise as the government repression was met with anger by the communists, especially the youth in more radical, small groups. Starting in 1974, communist militants began to arm themselves to strike back at police and army abuses, both in demonstrations and by means of retaliation. At the 1979 elections the CPPP was forecast for a landslide victory: on July 17th, four days before the polls were to open, the Army staged a coup, backed and encouraged by the elite. The First Puerto Polloan Civil War had begun. 


First Phase (1979-1981)
The Army and the National Police began rounding up communist militants, real or suspected, and initially detained in Urraca Stadium in Danjer Cove. Many though fled to the internal counrtyside and forests, including the bulk of CPPP leadership: a failure that the junta would pay dearly. The CPPP and its offshoots, along a few non-communist oppositors, spent most of the following year hiding and re-organizing as a guerrilla force. Armed activity thus remained low until in 1980 they united under the moniker of the Fuercas Armadas Revolucionarias of Puerto Pollo (FARPP): a pre-condition set by foreign Communist powers - including Bruuma - for their support. Thus, weapons began to flow to the rebels both from cargos docking in Danjer Cove port, were FARPP held many sympathizers among dock workers, or by small boats ferrying from neighboring coasts. 
The civil war was from the start fought on two fronts, with different methods: in the countryside, the rebels fought a more conventional war, with mobile columns laying ambushes, attacking outposts and temporarily occupying villages. In Danjer Cove, they resorted to ways more akin to those of terrorist groups, with cells conducting assassinations and bombings before disappearing among civilians. The junta answers was universal: forced disappearances, summary executions, torture and mass incarceration. The only difference was that in the countryside it was carried out by the Army, in the city by Police and paramilitary squads.
Violence became a daily feature in Puerto Polloan life, while the economy spiralled down as the war disrupted agricolture and trade.


Puerto Polloan Army soldiers take cover during a firefight with FARPP rebels, 1981



 

 

(This post was last modified: 10-05-2018, 09:14 AM by VPRB.)

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The Puerto Polloan Civil War: Part II

FARPP guerillas battle the Army in a rural town, 1986

Second Phase (1981-1983)
These three years saw the most intense fighting and the worst violence, accounting for half of all the casualties of the war. FARPP scored an initial goal in 1981, when a raid on the Arius Air Base destroyed most of the meager Air Force flyer stock. The government, under new commander General Ramon Sosa, responded with a brutal campaign aimed to eradicating support for the guerrilla, marked by extrajudicial executions and disappearences in the city and village raizings and massacres in the countryside. FARPP on their end widened their targets to families of government forces, public employees and wealthy figures, making large use of bombings and assassinations in Danjer Cove. International relief dwindled and economy plummeted, while both side began to meddle in criminal activities  to finance their struggle.


Puerto Pollan soldiers round up the bodies of suspected FARPP sympathizers after a raid in a village, 1983

Third Phase (1983 - 1988)
The war eventually simmered down to a low.intensity conflict, as both sides entrenched themselves in their positions. While a serie of generals briefly took over nominal charge of the country, rebels and government forces alike increasingly splintered in factions centered around officials whose main focus seemed to shift on their personal group's interests, starting from funding. Cocaine production and trafficking became the main source of revenue by the end of this period, surpassing kidnapping and extorsion, all while civil administration and economy reached the verge of collapse. A startling example of how combatants lost track of their goals were the docks of Danjer Cove, where in 1988 a FARPP cell and and paramilitary squad cohexisted while both battling internal rivals.

(This post was last modified: 11-12-2018, 06:43 AM by VPRB.)

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The Puerto Polloan Civil Wars: Part III

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A FARPP underage soldier, 1989. Both sides were guilty of forcible recruitment of children as combatants or porters.

Fourth phase (1989-1990)
In early 1989 internationally sponsored talks between the weary factions set ground for a peace treaty. While negotiations run back and forth for almost a year, they paradoxically led to a resurgence of violence, as factions tried to gain the most advantages and settle scores before the inevitable end of the conflict. Cocaine production reached all-time high as did weapon importations; by this time, some factions sported armoured vehicles and advanced equipment such as night vision googles. Ceasefire came into effect on January 16th and the Peace Treaty was signed on January 20th 1990. The ten-years long war had cost the country 3,000 dead, 10,000 wounded and 50,000 internally displaced persons.
The terms of the Treaty made weak foundations for the Second Republic. The new Army and Police were on one hand too small, on the other mostly made up of former participants. The political system, design to enforce a balance between the political parties, paralyzed most government actions while giving free reign to the spoil system. And the economy and public infrastructure remained largely ruined. 

(This post was last modified: 10-08-2018, 03:28 PM by VPRB.)

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Former Bafuto Serevai commander is found dead in Bruuma, apparently from suicide


Adaada Bodi, a wanted former Bafuto Serevai high ranking official, died today in Bruuma

Just hours after Erinor took a step forward from the Serevan War with the birth of the new Federation with Sereva, shadows emerge from the dark. Adaada Bodi, a former Bafuto Serevai high ranking official, was found dead today in Bruuma, where he took refuge after the war. In just a few days he was due to be extradited to Erinor, in accordance to the Peace Treaty, for leading mass executions of opposition members in Bruuman-controlled areas. Local authorities named it as suicide, but some abroad believe that is was murdered by its once-allies to avoid him revealing the role played by the BPDF in the killings. According to the regime, Bafuto Serevai carried executions of "enemy spies" alone, but many suspects that the Bruuman Army played an active role.


Relatives carries away bodies of Bafuto Serevai victims excavated from a mass grave this summer.

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The Puerto Polloan Civil Wars: Part IV
 

Second Republic (1990 – 2012)
The outcome for the Second Republic was that former higher ranks of both FARPP and the government turned themselves in crime barons, businessmen and politicians, more often than not all in once. Most of the population came to depend directly, as employed, or indirectly, as sponsored or affiliated, from one of this cartel lords, who intermittently fought each other in quickly shifting alliances. Cocaine trafficking and sea contraband operations remained the stable financial source for the country.
Discontent run among those former combatants who benefited less from the new order, especially junior officials. Starting from the early 2000, many of those who claimed a fairer distribution of wealth in Puerto Pollo joined the Pollitos Diabolicos Cartel run by El Pollo Diablo, a former FARPP guerrilla who claimed the title of colonel. The cartel, especially popular among the farmers, grew to be a major force on the island, attiring the hostilities of most of the cartels expressing the government. Puerto Pollo was hit by a severe drought in 2010 and by a financial collapse in 2011. 


Private militiamen in Danjer Cove, 2002

Second Civil War (2012-2014)
El Pollo Diablo, having secured the backing of Bruuma, renamed its cartel the Pollos Endemoniados Revolucionarios (PER) launched an uprising against the government and the cartel who backed it, who united under the umbrella of the Fuercas Democraticas Portuarias (FDP).
For two years the two sided battled all around the island, with PER having its stronghold in the countryside and FDP in Danjer Cove and other coastal towns. PER fared quite well until the end of 2013, when a major offensive by FDP and remains of the Army ousted it from Danjer Cove and most of the coast. PER was able to stand ground in its stronghold in the interior of the island, but unable to recover the lost territory. It is still unclear if El Pollo Diablo asked for the Bruuman intervention or if its backer decided by itself to take the matter into its own end. Whatever it was, the BPDF staged a massive invasion of the island on March 3rd 2014 with the full might of their military and crushed the FDP in mere six days, installing El Pollo Diablo and PER at the helm of the new Bruuman Protectorate of Puerto Pollo. The two years of fighting caused 1,000 dead, plus another 300 after the Bruuman intervention.    

BPDF soldiers conducts a mop-up operation in the aftermath of the invasion, 2014

(This post was last modified: 07-08-2019, 12:37 PM by VPRB.)

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