The Altian Civil War (2026-2030) was a five year-long conflict that took place on the Republic of Altis and Stratis. It was fought between Altian government Loyalists and coup d'etat forces led by Colonel Georgious Akhanteros.[1][3]
Background[]
Spurred by the ongoing economic depression that was gripping the nation, senior military officials from the Altis Armed Forces led by Georgious Akhanteros occupy government ministries in the capital of Kavala and proceed to "arrest" the civilian officials.[3][5]
Their justification was that they sought to bring down the corrupt civilian leadership that had led the country into their economic crisis.[5] However, most of the government leaders were killed in the coup d'etat, and peaceful protests against them are violently suppressed.[1][3]
Akhanteros and his junta proceeded to declare themselves as the rightful representatives of the country. However, they are not recognised as such by the international community, nor by the majority of the nation's citizens. In response, the Loyalists - a faction composed of civilian officials who survived the coup and anti-Akhanteros AAF personnel, sought to restore the leadership of the country back into civilian hands.[3]
Amidst the backdrop of the fighting, the Loyalists were also covertly backed by NATO. Supported by CTRG Group 14, the NATO operatives provided arms and tactical leadership for the Loyalists.[6][7]
Early battles[]
- Main article: Beyond Hope
During the initial stages of the conflict, territories changed hands multiple times, with the island itself being completely divided along the lines of those who supported the Loyalists, the AAF and its allies, or remained neutral.[3][8][9]
In order to address the growing humanitarian crisis, a brief six-day ceasefire is eventually declared by the international community, with both sides agreeing to stop the fighting temporarily for aid to get through. IDAP aid workers and supply convoys are rushed towards villages and towns being held by both sides, but encounter issues after the AAF begin to blockade and deliberately delay shipments from getting through to non-AAF held regions.[3][10]
Battle for Orino[]
Predictably, the ceasefire did not last long as both sides had been using the brief lull as an opportunity to regroup their forces for further offensives.[11][12]
The ceasefire is broken just hours after its declaration, following an ambush by the AAF against a Loyalist squad near the village of Orino on May 11th, 2026.[1][13] The Loyalists responded by initiating a counterattack of their own against Orino, striking from multiple directions with a combination of several mechanised infantry platoons and artillery support.[14]
Several outposts around the outskirts of the village were targeted before the main ground offensive commenced, spearheaded by an elite team of Loyalist scouts.[14][15][16] In response to Orino's loss[17], the AAF dispatched a Quick Reaction Force in an attempt to retake it.[18] They were quickly repelled by the defenders, and the battle ended in a decisive victory for the Loyalists.[19]
Battle of Galati[]
The Battle for Orino was followed by another Loyalist offensive, this time against the mountain village of Galati.[1] To the north of Galati lay the mountain village of Abdera which consisted predominately of pro-Loyalist citizens. AAF checkpoints blocked the only roads leading into the mountain village and deliberately prevented NGOs from delivering aid supplies.[10]
To free the routes leading to the village, the Loyalists struck the AAF checkpoint at midday; a combination of ground troops and IFVs helped to breach the defensive lines surrounding Galati.[20][21] The Loyalists followed up their assault by besieging Galati itself, successfully eliminating its defenders[22] while Loyalist snipers - supported by several members from CTRG Group 14, intercepted AAF reinforcements inbound from Syrta.[23]
As with Orino earlier in the day, the Battle of Galati similarly ended in a decisive victory for the Loyalists.[4][24][25]
Later stages[]
Whilst the Loyalists were successful in the first year of the war[4], attrition began to take a heavy toll in the following years.
NATO support also gradually began to wear thin, as CTRG's need to remain undercover[14] and reluctance to supply modernised equipment to the Loyalists ensured that they would remain at a disadvantage against Akhanteros' forces.[6][26] The Loyalists slowly lost more ground over time and would eventually be unable to hold onto any of the gains that they made.[4]
Signing of the Jerusalem Cease Fire (2030)[]
By the waning stages of the conflict, the Loyalists were reduced to nothing more than a shadow of their original selves. Most of the initial members were either deceased, imprisoned, or missing in action. Meanwhile, Akhanteros' AAF were stronger than ever despite their heavy losses and were emboldened by their victories over the Loyalists.[4]
A true peace treaty, the Jerusalem Cease Fire, would eventually be proposed, with representatives from both sides meeting in the city of Jerusalem to sign a formal agreement to put an end to the fighting.[1] However, for the Loyalists that remained, they had virtually nothing left to bargain with in the first place and were forced to unconditionally give in to Akhanteros' one-sided demands.[4]
Aftermath[]
With the signing of the Jerusalem Cease Fire, Akhanteros was officially recognised as the legitimate leader of the country. The Loyalists were completely dissolved as a military faction and ceased to exist as a political entity as well.[1][4]
At least half of the nation's civilian population were killed in the civil war[27][28] and much of the country was completely devastated, with most of the smaller settlements being reduced to rubble and turned into ghost towns littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance.[2] The conflict had also sparked a refugee crisis, with many citizens attempting to flee or find refuge in other Southern European nations throughout the Mediterranean.[29]
For what was left of the Loyalists and the citizens who supported them however, the worst was yet to come. Many were rounded up, imprisoned and tortured by the new government. Most disappeared without a trace, and their whereabouts continued to remain unclear long after the conflict finished.[4]
Nonetheless, victory had also come at a steep price for Akhanteros. As even though he gained legitimacy and was promised some sense of stability by the Chinese-led CSAT alliance[30], the brutal nature of the post-war crackdowns[31] and corruption that was becoming rife within the AAF alienated many potential supporters.[32][33]
Indeed, the circumstances that caused the civil war to start in the first place were being repeated yet again, but this time would spur the formation of the Freedom and Independence Army (FIA).[31][34] While the FIA were not comparable to their Loyalist predecessors in pure strength, the new guerilla movement had better numbers[35], and held a majority when it came to backing from the civilian population.[36][37][38]
The country's population had mostly turned against Akhanteros and were (though not overtly) providing support to the FIA, which was slowly becoming a credible threat to the new government's stability.[37] Within the span of just a year, the first outbreak of fighting between the AAF and FIA would begin, forcing the international community to intervene once more.[1][4][38][39][40]
Notes[]
- ↑ Although the official Armaverse Timeline and the epilogue of Beyond Hope states that the Jerusalem Cease Fire agreement was signed in the year 2030, the exact day and month it came into effect remains unknown.
- ↑ It is unclear as to how many members of CTRG Group 14 were deployed for the duration of the civil war. The absence of Group 14's leader, Captain Scott Miller, suggests that not all members of the Group were initially deployed in support of the Loyalists.
References[]
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See also[]
Armaverse conflicts | |
---|---|
1980s | Soviet occupation of Nogova (1982) • Malden Islands Crisis (1985) • Takistan Civil War (1988-1992) |
2000s | Sahrani Conflict (2006) • Chernarussian Civil War (2009) |
2010s | Operation Arrowhead (2012) • Operation Crimson Lance (2012) |
2020s | Altian Civil War (2026-2030) |
2030s | Altis Incident (2035) |
NOTE: Conflicts fought in spin-off titles, non-canon expansions/DLCs, lone skirmishes between isolated groups or conflicts without significant details are deliberately excluded. |