African Implosion and Drama
The African Implosion was one giant intertwined wars that happened completely inside the Continent. In the 1990s, the historians were unable to distinguish one conflict after another that they decided to just compile them into one great even called African Implosion. The first signs of the implosion dated back towards the creation of Egyptian Socialist Republic in 4th October 1966. But the common start date for the African implosion sited much after, when French Civil War erupted in 5th February 1970.
The continent was already a mess. Since the beginning of the African colonization, much of the natives had already encountered the fierce policies of the European nations. Even with major changes in WW1, and WW2, much of the Continent suffered subjection. Nevertheless, the start of the 60s gave way into two types of colonialism, mainly the French and the British type.
Victory in the Korean War meant a few things for the United Kingdom. One, that oil is important. The landings in Incheon, and the counter-attack in Korea fully imaged the dire necessity of oil in battle field. For the Americans, gaining oil was easy, as most of their core territories own oil rigs. United Kingdom, however, was not so lucky. Mostly, oil that the kingdom received was from the jewels in Africa, such as Egypt, Kuwait and a few others. Therefore, they intended to halt the decolonization process even longer. 50s turned to 60s, and gradually the decolonization plans were scrap by the Conservative Government and instead stubbornly resist any pro-independence movements. The intended policy was maintaining most of the Middle East, which was the problem.
Egypt was the problem. The nation which ever became the cradle of civilization was so enough of the British rule that it was common to kill an Egyptian for accused ploy. The repeated invasion from Britain ended up to be the most tumultuous era of Egyptian history, until of course the savior arrived. General Abdul Nasser swept the nation as the first leader of the proclaimed Egyptian Socialist Republic. Since then, most of the British war effort was situated for only that certain region. From 1958, dispatches from British Army has been given to always tried to prevent Egyptian expansion. Many short wars against Egypt had been commenced. The first one, the Independence wars, ended up badly as the Egyptian could finally declare independence. The second one, ended badly for the Israelis. The third one, 1962, luckily British, returned the Egyptian stage to protectorate. The current last one, 1966, created the abominable Egyptian Socialist Republic, which proved to be a British threat when with Syrian republic formed the infamous United Arab Socialist Republics. This UASR proved to be lethal in Middle East stability, as many nations were appealed by the spirit of Arabian unity. In 1968, an Iraqi Socialist Ba’ath Party assumed the Iraqi leadership, and they announce to join the Union. In addition to it, in 1969, the launched the 10-Days War against Israel. Much of the resulted ended up with outstanding Egyptian-Jordanian victory, and ended up craving Israel into non-existence. However, the Union betrayed the Jordanian Kingdom a few months later, forcing them to be acquired as Jordanian Socialist Republic, part of the United Arab Socialist Republic. Since the Jordan annexation, most of the states grew terrified on this newly regional power, although inside the stability wasn’t so good.
(1970 border of United Arab Socialist Republic)
That region also indirectly destabilized another region; this time was the Southern parts of Africa. The temporary leave of British garrisons for arming against the Egyptian threat caused several oppressed Africans to finally revolted. In the Southern Areas, segregation was extremely high and common, as the number of Europeans heavily influenced the region. However, several parts, like Bechuanaland, did not own a lot of whites. However, the region still had a black majority inside the region. Therefore, when the Bechuanaland Revolt happened in 1968, everywhere around the region, South Africa, Rhodesia and Nyasaland, followed suit. This part was called the Great South African Revolt.
Unfortunately, the apartheid governments of South Africa and Rhodesia and Nyasaland Federation had already prepared for this. The troops from dominion the former, and protectorate the latter, were already ready for wiping out insurgents, and thus giving the most lethal suppression of them all – mass killings. Eerily similar to the plans Hitler had made during the World War 2, the South African governments issued a discreet extermination policy. The policy was so carefully planned, that even the most intelligent of espionage only found these horrible atrocities too late. Every assault the army made, they must involve pillage and burn. Although the former weren’t intensively done due to the less resources the natives had. As a result, the Revolt ended much shortly, and Bechuanaland was still a British colony, albeit the high influence Dominion of South Africa had towards the region.
If you think the madness ended here, it didn’t. The stories of mass killings had reached many of the surrounding regions. Two of them was the troublesome Angola and Mozambique.
After the Portuguese Communist coup in 1950s, every overseas territories Portugal had had been neglected. Timor was easily conquered at ease by Indonesia. So does Goa and Macao by India and China respectively. But not quite peaceful for Angola and Mozambique. The void of power in those regions had urged Britain to intervene. The region was quickly seized by the British government and stated them to be as another part of the British Empire. The Portuguese Former Realm, weren’t British concerns, as they were authoritarian nation. But then, the House of Braganza, home to the old Portuguese Kingdom, requested the territories to be theirs. The British, knowingly the region had less benefits than problems, agreed to the offer. Duarte Nuno, current house of Braganza, rejoiced of the return of the jewel crowns, and decided to announce them the Kingdom of New Portugal. Later on, the Guinea-Bissau, refused to return to the New Portuguese Crown, and instead form an independent republic of Guinea Bissau.
Flag of the New Portuguese Kingdom
This new kingdom, majority of black Africans, disputed the Portuguese friendly relations to Britain, although the former crown had no intention of wiping the native population. The end of the war started skirmishes of the Angolan Salvation Paramilitary Army, an unofficial armed forces consist of Angolan natives, to relieve their African friends. This angered the Dominion and the neighboring Protectorate, and demanded the kingdom to disband the terrorists. Inside the kingdom, Angolan and Mozambique-an citizens loathed the increasing brutality of the white rule. New Portugal, then wedged between the interest of his people and his royal, had now entered a crossroad. The Kingdom had to choose between undermining their own people against the apartheid South, or chose to survive against the neighbor for the sake of the kingdom’s own sovereignty. In the end, Duarte Nuno chooses the latter.
Just a few months after the end of Bechuanaland Revolt, New Portugal announced that the voice of the people is one, which is to remind Africa who is their people. Although white himself, the royals strove against their neighboring whites. Conveniently, the Braganza may finally fulfill their old African ambition of the Pink Map, linking Mozambique with Angola at last. This war, unfortunately, was longer than the previous, and much giving all Commonwealth's power to decline. Not long, Eritrea, Sudan, and even Tanganyika revolted.
The West Africa, meanwhile, were relatively peaceful. The Nixon administration blatantly supported the British government, stating that the ’old administration was stupid enough to leave our ally’. Initial Nixon’s part of reconciliation program, decided to help Britain secure their West African holdings. A smart move, Nixon ignored assisting South Africa, as the apartheid-phobia was still high in America. But, one controversial move Nixon made was allying himself with the British Unionist Party. Although the American blessing for Britain erased BUP thoughts of emigrating Jews into Israel, which was already non-existent anyway. The BUP had increasing thought of black-phobia, one that was mainly influenced by the South African branch of a nationalist party. Nevertheless, this increasing influence of America in parts of British West Africa resulted the US to construct a plot to weaken France.
On the other side, France was a difficult nation to weaken, especially in Africa. His pushing stance towards equality in Franco-sphere had boosted sympathy in Africa. The Thorezian regime began to implement equal verdicts to all races, which amused Kennedy for a bit. Although started a decade ago, 10 years was enough for France to consolidate many of their protectorates. Algeria,Tunis, Benin and Senegal were already in the French camp, while Morocco had several problems. Ivory Coast, Mauritania, French Guinea, Comoros and Djibouti still loved the French, even if the last demanded more autonomy in 1967. The rest of this, was following a slower, but similar trend. But, the rest of Africa could be persuaded into independence by the Americans, and so underground activities had started from 1968, and was fruited into action in Operation Joan of Arc. This whole mastermind was led by none other than Kissinger himself.
(Henry Alfred Kissinger, will show more in the future)
Henry Alfred Kissinger was a realpolitik person, even better than Kennedy. His foreign policy was so pragmatic that several controversial actions had been done during his ministerial years in history. One of them was the Dirty War, a war he provoked to topple left governments in Central and South America, with the first one to fall was Chile. The other was Panama re-admittance to the Union in 1969, which sparked many anti-US dissents in third world countries.
His plot of weaken France involving weaken Britain as well, according to Operation Joan of Arc, he knew that those paramilitaries rebels would inevitably supported all West African natives into revolting against their colonizers. However, this risk wasn’t addressed to Nixon, which Nixon also noticed that. In a small fight in the Oval Office, Kissinger was fired from Secretary of State. Nevertheless, the die is cast, and Operation Joan of Arc had continued without the United States. The new Secretary of State, Robert Stephen Ingersoll, would turn around completely, and now determined to banish the Operation Joan of Arc, their old creation.
Operation Joan of Arc completely burn West Africa into warfare, except Senegal, which was particularly stable throughout the conflict, and independent African nations like Guinea Bissau and Liberia. Everything else, was pulled into devastating conflict of insurgents.
In May 1970, just months after the powder had popped. Africa was in fire, and a global crisis was brewing.
