Sandstorm, An article from Alfegos

[A P A]

Look below for the new, pimped up article, now in PDF form. Further below is the text-only version, for those who don't have pdf readers.

http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/22611/Sandstorm.pdf


Sandstorm – Window on a War-torn Nation
Eri'ka San'so'do
Originally reported in the Palm State Times

One of the many ruined buildings in the Kesoav area

This morning, I woke up to a typical day in Hergat city of Kesoav – that is, in a state of panic. My blissful sleep in FOB Kestrel was rudely interrupted by a deafening blast in the conurbation below, enough to set off a ringing in my ears that continued through the rest of the day. In a frenzy, I donned my loaned high-spec ballistic armour and helmet, before clambering up out into the dim sunlight. Just outside the encampment, a bomb had gone off, blowing the tracks off the 'Basalt' armoured vehicle passing by. Mounted one of the the rubble walls to get a closer view, I saw that the vehicle was painted with a red cross, and had been one of many army ambulances sent to the region to deal with the growing numbers of civilian casualties.

Sitting over a tasteless breakfast of cold sausage and beans, I engaged in conversation with the FOB commander, a Lieutenant Rei'ma, asking about what had happened outside. He shrugged it off, stating that it was a regular occurrence in these parts. The crew of the vehicle were shaken, but uninjured, and sat upon their rucksacks in a corner whilst waiting for a recovery vehicle to arrive. How had the bomb been placed so close? I quizzed the Lieutenant, who once again shrugged.
“They pay the local farmers to crawl up in the night with their bombs, just out of sight of any of us. They then set them off with mobile phones. We go out and try to catch them at night, but they always return.”

'They' of course are the militant tribe in the region, the Lunai. One of the three main tribal groups, the Lunai have fought tooth and nail since 2006 against the ruling majority, the Djini, to try and get into power, plunging the young nation into a state of civil war. The only method the Lunai have found, in lieu of being outgunned and outmanned, is to target the citizenry of any other tribe, razing villages to the ground and massacring those who didn't join their cause. With atrocities spilling over the border into the colony of Neo'los, the Alfegan government declared a state of war with the Lunai in 2007, sending in military counter-insurgency forces to try and stabilise the nation.

It's been a year since the Battle for Kesoav, the scars of the fight to liberate the city shown all too clearly in the ruins of buildings on the outskirts, and the bullet-holes riddling the main streets. Yet still, aid convoys into the city have to be escorted by an armoured column. Instead of all-out war, as it was a couple years ago, the insurgents have changed to a guerilla style of warfare, using ambushes and bombs to target the forces in the region. Each day, the army have to tread carefully, using electronic warfare devices to prevent any radio bombs from maiming them and using metal detectors to find land mines hidden around the city.

But two years on, why is Alfegos still fighting in this impossible war? That question was answered when I was taken out that day by the Lieutenant on a combat patrol, to meet the Djini Militia Head of Kesoav. His place of residence was a very simple hut, one of the many mud buildings that make up the city, amongst a group of buildings housing over a hundred Djini gunmen. As well as fighting the Lunai tribe in the area, the Djini militia have been helping with the rebuilding, distributing aid amongst the city and erected prefabs on the sites of destroyed huts. The factories on the east bank of the vast river that flows through what is otherwise desert still sit silent, workers afraid to go in after the Lunai mined the buildings and smashed up the machines. Even the many fields are left barren, maimed livestock a gruesome sign of this.

The man I met was rather quiet, blind in one eye after a gunfight in the city. After introducing himself, he led me around the militia buildings, showing with pride the men who had been trained by our forces in the region. Kalashnikovs and machetes were the order of the day, both men and women showing off the battle wear of their weapons. All had been injured in the conflict in some way, and all were thirsty for a revenge restrained by the military.
“Of the eighty thousand people in this city, fifty thousand are Djini. Of the thirty thousand Lunai tribe members, we reckon only a thousand are responsible for causing this mess. The rest couldn't care about their political agenda.”

My next stop was the Kesoav Peace School. A hopeful name, for these people living in hope of what the Alfegan forces strive to achieve. Inside, I was greeted by the sound of laughter, something quite rare in these parts, as children played with donated toys or sat attentively in classes. The Alfegan reason for keeping their forces in the country is just this – not to support a single faction in this civil war, but to cease it so that people can live without fear. Such fear was shown as I left the building, the happiness of those inside juxtaposed by the ruins of the former school next door, still surrounded by bright red warning tape and with signs placed to warn away any curious children.

In the evening, as I was driven out of the city, the convoy passed an abandoned village, the red mine tape once again fluttering in the light breeze. The meteorological department had warned of a sandstorm coming in from the eastern deserts, forewarned by this heavy wind. With talk of Operation Goshawk, a multi-national surge to destroy the insurgency for once and for all, I thought once again of the families who must have been displaced from the village, and how the sandstorm would wash away these memories of pain.

[A P A]

Edited with an added picture.

[Macabees]

The picture should probably come right after the title and centered (along with any caption).

[A P A]

Not sure how to change that with BBCode. If you're coding in HTML, that'd be fine. If you'd prefer, I could do this on a separate programme, and save it in PDF form for you.

[new kereptica]

"[CENTER] XXX [/CENTER]" tags

[A P A]

It appears not to work

[A P A]

Redid the article layout, and saved it as .pdf. See the link on the OP

[Macabees]

In regards to PDF, we're going to have to design the layout of the PDF anyways, so best leave that to us.

[A P A]

Just saved it like that for simplicity's sake. But comments on the actual content?

[Macabees]

Since the magazine will only be published so many times a year, the articles it publishes are usually more in-depth than those published by more regular news sources. So, consider this the equivalent of the magazine "Foreign Policy". As a result, you are encouraged to have a background to the war, the battle, et cetera. More than coverage of what happened, it should provide an analysis.

[A P A]

Right you are. I'll stick details in that.