Modern Africa- Trouble on the Zogo (PART 2)

The President was in his Palace when the news came.

He was not happy. His Imperial Majesty, Royal Highness, The Right Honourable, His Eminence, General President  T'Mbolo M'shombou was a father to his people. His loved them all. Some more than others. It was a measure of their ingratitude that again, the trouble making Baako tribesmen of the south were causing trouble.
Did they not have work? Working 14 hour days in the Uranium Mines? Digging underground for diamond? Did they not have food? They were given a coconut and rice each day? His advisers had warned him that the Baako were trouble. Their spokesman, Beeko Mumfasa was stirring up dissent.
Well, his uncle, the Great and Wondrous Aboiye had been forced to lop off a few heads. It was time to do so again.
So confident was the General President of Victory, that he left his Presidential Palace Grenadier Life Guards in the Capital, M'shombou City.  He went south with some of his beloved Zogo African Rifles.

The Village at the center of the rebellion

Trouble in ZOGO ( For more pics see Spyros' Blog 'No Duff Gamer',  down the right hand side!)

IN THE SOUTH:

GAME ONE:  Battle of Alako 

Personally leading elements of his  Zogo African Rifles, General President T’mbolo M’shombou was confident that he could put paid to some straggly, drug stuffed, starving rebels.

An impetuous advance well into Baako heartland, the southern province of Patanga, with a number of ZAR units, with armoured car support, the President found the Rebels waiting just to the north of the city of Alako. Alako is the centre of the country’s uranium mining.

The President’s famous ability to prophesize the future failed the great man on this day.  The short violent clash led to a REBEL Victory.  The rash assault of the vehicles saw both the tehcnical and the armoured car destroyed by accurate RPG fire.

‘Where did they get those?’ mused the President, thinking of the large numbers floating around in his sourthern neighbour, The Democratic Republic of Congo. 

At one stage during the combat a wounded group of civilians ( we were using the Force on Force Bush Wars Fog of War Cards) pleaded with the Government forces for help. The Great President was more than obliging by sending more bullets their way. This atrocity would later cause problems for the President.

The Government lost an armoured car, a light vehicle and three complete squads were wiped out.

Rebels recovered 1 light vehicle and repaired their own. They then followed the retreating government forces who were retreating to the north of Patanga province.

The Zogo African Rifles advance warily

The Village: All is peace and quiet- the calm before the storm

His Eminence, Royal Highness, Imperial Majesty, By the Grace of God, The Most Enlightened, His Grace, President for Life: T'mbolo M'shombou

A group of Baako tribesmen prepare to ambush the Zogo Army forces

More Baako tribesmen

The area of the first defeat of the President's forces.

The Boss looks all business in his Admiral's Uniform.

The boys from the ZAR advance

Baako separatists prepare a surprise in the elephant grass

Great success!- The first of the Zogan armoured cars that would be a smoking ruin by the day's end.

Strike two! Another ZAR vehicles on fire

Are we being beaten?....NEVER- the President cannot be defeated!

The Baako advance

A line of ZAR advance

The Second battlefield area

The Baako await the ZAR and the all the President's men.

Here they come!- You can see his Imperial Majesty, Royal Highness!

Advance en masse!

An explosion amongst the tribesmen. The figure in the foreground is wearing a Green Beret- It must be Meeko Mumfasa, Brother of Beeko, leader of the rebellion

      Unable to believe the outcome, The Great and Noble President called on another detachment of his ZAR. Combining the reminder of his first force, he withdrew from the province. Then after summoning an armoured column of his Presidential Palace Grenadier Life Guards, he launched another attack- without waiting  for the Guard. It is believed that his family witch doctor foresaw a great victory if the great man drank elephant’s blood and crushed goat testicles. 

‘After all,’ he claimed. ‘Am I not the most popular leader  in world History? I was democratically elected with a 99.7% approval rating! I am more popular than the Australian Kevin Rudd! ( this was 2009). More enlightened than Kim Jong –il. More Wise than George Bush?’

His advisors assured him that this was all true.

So, encouraged by his incredible insight, and democratic mandate, he led his forces against the rebellious scum of Patanga province.

GAME TWO: Battle of Balankan

In the second clash in the north of Patanga Province the Rebel Leader Beeko Mumfasa  in conjuction with his brother Meeko inflicted another, even more humiliating defeat on the Great Man. The Brothers were easily identified on the battlefield by the red and green berets they respectively wore.  In a repeat performance of the first action,  his 3 light vehicles and armoured car were rendered  inoperative due to machine gun and RPG rounds in the very early stages of the fight.  To add insult to injury, a group of hostile civilians ambushed and destroyed one of his units- in revenge for the massacre of civilians at Alako. Particularly galling to the President was that the Armoured car was his personal favourite and was named after one of his 67 wives; Moeshia . 

In response  to the defeat  the General President had his family witch doctor drowned in a bath tub of elephants blood and crushed goat testicles.

 Retreating in Bangsu province, the remnants of the government forces  fell back into the main city of Ngui, in the hope that the armoured column from the capital would arrive. But this was not to be. They were followed quickly by the Rebels. In a disturbing report, the President was told that some Baako tribesmen from the Congo were now joining the forces of the Mumfasa brothers. The Rebels also had repaired the armoured car named after his wife as well as the technicals. Outnumbered and outgunned, the President and his forces in Ngui await the assault of the Rebels. (Stay tuned for more!)

IN THE NORTH

Very disturbing news reached his Eminence as he sat brooding in Ngui. 

 There had been rumours of Islamic militant preachers preaching Jihad in the north eastern provinces. The President had acted with his usual calm and benevolence. He hadthe offending militants arrested and drowned.

Islamic Insurgents declared rebellion in the northern city of Yalingu (Yalingu Province) on the border with Sudan.They then attacked the city of Tambura in the south of Yalinga. The small garrison of police and ZAR held on grimly . In a stroke of luck, an armoured car arrived to help the defence and the militants withdrew rapidle back to Yalingu.  It transpired that the commander of the Armoured column, of the Presidential Palace Life Guards had decided to dispatch an armoured car which arrived in time and helped drive the northern insurgents back.

Understandably the President was most upset, that a junior regional commander should actually win a victory, when he had suffered two defeats. So he sent him congratulations. And had him drowned.

So the situation in the north seemed contained, but the south was a seething mass of discontent.

The outskirts of Tambura

The so called- Right Fists of God, preparing to assault the ZAR positions

The armoured car that arrived in the nick of time- Here come the cavalry!!

A victory in the north? I must congratulate my local commander. Now where was that tub of water?