Ausferilandian Civil War

The Ausferilandian Civil War is an ongoing armed conflict in the west and northeastern regions of Ausferiland. As ethnic and political tensions in the country continued to mount, Ausferilandian-Zolevskoyan military commander Alfred Micha was assassinated by pro-Volgarian rebels, concurrent pro-Volgarian protests in western regions of Ausferiland escalated into armed rebellions. The war officially began on May 18th 2019, when the cities of Spallerhoff and Froschberg were taken over, and a Ausferiland Federal Republic was declared by Eduard Hellmuth. Since then, the Ausferiland Red Army Movement has also taken some territory, although not as much as the self-proclaimed AFR. Zolevskoy has deployed soldiers to fight against rebel forces and has supplied the Ausferiland National Defense Force with weaponry. Volgaria has also deployed forces to assist the Ausferiland Federal Republic Army, although only standoffs between both military forces have been reported.

Demographic tensions
Throughout the first half of 2019, minor clashes between pro-Volgarian and pro-Ausferilandian/Zolevskoyan groups had been increasing both in frequency and intensity, although full scale hostilities had not yet broken out. Although some argue that the civil war began when the first clashes began in February, this is generally not the consensus. Although the government made efforts to prevent fighting between the two groups, tensions only continued to rise as when one side attacked, the other would respond with a larger attack. The government established a ceasefire zone in the region of Cham in April, however it did not last long until tensions grew to the point where both sides would continue to provoke each other in the zone. It was also revealed the government of Ausferiland was actively funding and arming pro-government militias, especially the Ausferiland Patriot Army who had been accused of burning down the homes of ethnic Volgarians just weeks prior.

Assassination of Alfred Micha
On May 15th, the commander of the Ausferiland National Defense Force, Alfred Micha, was gunned downed outside his home in Linderz. Just hours later, an ethnic Ausferilandian militia stopped a bus just outside the city of Froschberg and killed 18 of its occupants, all of whom were ethnic Ausfer-Volgarians. Clashes began between both ethnic groups in most major cities of Ausferiland after both incidents, and it is estimated that at least 400 people were killed between the 15th and 17th of May. Militant Ausfer-Volgarian groups also began to increase attacks on the Ausferilandian police and military forces.

As sectarian violence in the country continued to spiral out of the government's control, civilians were mostly targeted. The national police force of Ausferiland, which had been understaffed and underfunded for several years, had been stretched thin as riots continued to break out. Roaming groups of both Ausfer-Volgarian and ethnic Ausferilandian descent lynched, murdered, and pillaged the homes of their opponents in the rural parts of the country, where police could not reach at the peak of the spiral into the war.

Initial rebel gains
On the 18 May 2019, rebel forces violently took over the city of Spallerhof, after weeks of minor clashes in the countryside. The next day, the rebel forces declared independence, proclaiming themselves as the Republic of Ausfer-Volgaria. This coincided with various bombings in the capital city of Ausferiland, which targeted government and military facilities and personnel. From the 21st to the 28th of May, government forces were pushed back to the city Froschberg, thus beginning the Siege of Froschberg. The siege lasted for 5 days until government forces evacuated the city, which forces of Ausfer-Volgarian rebels quickly captured and proclaimed as their capital city. Rebel forces were then consolidated into the United Armed Forces of Ausfer-Volgaria, as a semi-conventional armed force.

After the outbreak of the war, sectarian violence began to spiral out of control. Ethnic Ausferilandian nationalists targeted ethnic Volgarians, while ethnic Volgarian nationalists targeted Ausferilandians. The most deadly of these incidents occured on May 25th, when a group of an Ausferilandian ultranationalist militia entered the village of Roschen and murdered over 30 Volgarians. The Ausfer-Volgarian government also began ordering ethnic Zolevskoyans and Ausferilandians to wear identity badges at all times in their controlled territory, and forced many to shut down their businesses and vacate their homes. Those who refused were reportedly flogged publicly, and some who managed to escape east towards Ausferilandian government-controlled territory claim that Ausfer-Volgarian mobs roamed freely.

States in support of Ausferiland

 * Zolevskoy: Nedyalko Valov has called the war "the greatest thread to stability in Vesperia", and has condemned rebel forces for worsening ethnic tensions in the country and for various war crimes committed. The Ausferiland Federal Republic Army was also designated as a terrorist organization by the Zolevskoyan government. In December 2019, Valov announced the deployment of 4 regiments of the Republic of Zolevskoy Ground Forces for "anti-terrorist operations". The Republic of Zolevskoy Air Force has also played an active role in Zolevskoy's intervention in the war conducting sorties against rebel forces. Nedyalko Valov has also accused Volgaria of arming and training rebel forces, stating that "any assistance given to terrorist forces will carry long-term consequences".


 * Vazandia: Vazandia has refused to recognize the state of Ausfer-Volgaria and has voiced heavy support for the government, and has actively helped the Ausferiland National Defense Forces by supplying arms and deploying advisors.


 * Temischa:

States in support of Ausfer-Volgaria

 * Volgaria: The Volgarian government has voiced its full diplomatic support for the Volgarian people in Ausferiland stating that the government of Ausferiland was responsible for letting the situation unnecessarily escalate into violence by rejecting their self-determination. The Volgarian Armed Forces and National Security Service have played an active role in supporting the secessionist Republic of Ausfer-Volgaria in its military and political objectives, while the Volgarian government has claimed both organizations are there solely for "peacekeeping operations", It has been widely confirmed that the Volgarian troops sent to Ausferiland have played active combat roles against government forces in full support of rebel operations and offensives. Aircraft from the Volgarian air force have also been involved on numerous operations including strategic and tactical bombing as well as interdiction, though the presence of the aircraft in Ausferiland has been continuously denied by the Volgarian government. Volgaria has repeatedly condemned the Zolevskoyan presence in Ausferiland and its support of the government expressing that the Zolevskoyans are supporting "a government which has no respect for the self-determination or will of the people living within it."


 * Granzery: The Granzerian Vezér István Árpád has denounced Zolevskoyan deployment to Ausferiland, accusing the Zolevskoyan government of worsening the situation in the country. Granzery has lead numerous unsuccessful efforts to mediate a diplomatic solution to the war. The Granzerian Royal Defence Force has been accused by Zolevskoy of ferrying arms and supplies to the rebels, a claim that is denied by the Granzerian government.


 * Elesar:

Neutral states

 * Stasnov: The Premier of the USRS, Nikita V. Kartsev, has urged all parties to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict, and has pointed out the danger of a large-scale humanitarian crisis should the civil war continue. Kartsev has also offered to send Stasnovan humanitarian aid and medical personnel to the war-torn country. In a later statement, Kartsev also stated that both Zolevskoy and Volgaria have sown the seeds of conflict in the nation and should try to salvage the situation and pull their troops out of the country.


 * Acronia: The Acronian government has called for all sides to come to a peaceful agreement to end the war, and has also offered humanitarian aid and neutral grounds for peace talks.