12-17-2014, 02:38 PM
City of Makeni, Sierra Leone
General Katlego stood in the city hall of Makeni. The city had become the seat of power of the Temne faction, and the General and his supporters had spent years of effort quietly preparing the city to serve as their main base of operations should the attack on the capital have failed. Victory in conflict came with bold actions tempered with carefully laid contingencies.
Soldiers in the uniform of the Sierra Leonean military, bustled about to various tasks, bolstered by civil supporters. None wore the flag of Sierra Leone; they were not fighting to save the country, but rather their people. The country of Sierra Leone was a symbol of the oppression the Mende peoples had suffered under the Temne regime. It was time to start anew.
They were already establishing their own television station; through it they could spread the word of their cause, directly to those who would listen and without it being filtered through foreign reporters. And to combat the vile propaganda that the 'government' forces were already spreading. Vile lies of General Katlego's troops killing and looting in south-eastern Sierra Leone, near the Liberian border.
His efforts to gain the support of foreign governments had met mixed reviews. Openly, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire had both refused to offer any direct support. Unofficially, both countries had offered to sell the Mende weapons and ammunition, most usefully shells for the batteries of artillery the Mende forces had under their control.
"General. The government dogs are still hiding in Freetown. They control the airport, and the deep water port, and if they so chose could secure the border to Liberia. We need to go back on the offensive."
One of the General's underlings, Colonel Rudo was, much like the General, an aggressive man. The days the Mende forces had spent reorganizing and securing territory had felt like a waste of time.
Lieutenant-Colonel Uzoma was responsible for the council that had led to the seemingly slow progress of the Mende forces after the failed attack on Freetown. "I agree that it is time we begin moving again, General. Colonel. But where? And why? The country is falling apart around us, Sirs, and that foreign businessman is winning the public opinion."
The General nodded slightly and turned to look at the maps of Sierra Leone that were attached to a rolling cork board. Flags marked the positions of his men and supporters, coloured yarn strung between thumb tags indicated their zones of control. Other flags indicated government forces, almost entirely seen around Freetown and the airport. Still others were of places attacked by rebels out of Guinea. And of rogue military elements in the south-east.
"We must end General William-Johnson's resistance as soon as we can. Once that old mule is gone, the government will collapse fully and we can turn our attention to securing our borders once more."
The General studied the map a moment, then nodded curtly, and plucked the flag that marked his artillery assets, handing it off to Colonel Rudo. "Do it."
He turned to Lieutenant-Colonel Uzoma next, and tapped a finger on the map near Masiaka, where another flag, denoting the Red Cross refugee camps. "You will oversee that we gain control of this camp. Our people are hiding there, and the enemy will be wanting to make an example of them after what happened in Freetown."
Colonel Rudo nodded curtly and turned to leave; he would gather his command staff and that of the artillery battery. Lieutenant-Colonel Uzoma was not fond of the implications of the Colonel's orders, but his own were far more to his liking. Rescuing Mende civilians would go far towards bolstering their cause and morale.
General Katlego stood in the city hall of Makeni. The city had become the seat of power of the Temne faction, and the General and his supporters had spent years of effort quietly preparing the city to serve as their main base of operations should the attack on the capital have failed. Victory in conflict came with bold actions tempered with carefully laid contingencies.
Soldiers in the uniform of the Sierra Leonean military, bustled about to various tasks, bolstered by civil supporters. None wore the flag of Sierra Leone; they were not fighting to save the country, but rather their people. The country of Sierra Leone was a symbol of the oppression the Mende peoples had suffered under the Temne regime. It was time to start anew.
They were already establishing their own television station; through it they could spread the word of their cause, directly to those who would listen and without it being filtered through foreign reporters. And to combat the vile propaganda that the 'government' forces were already spreading. Vile lies of General Katlego's troops killing and looting in south-eastern Sierra Leone, near the Liberian border.
His efforts to gain the support of foreign governments had met mixed reviews. Openly, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire had both refused to offer any direct support. Unofficially, both countries had offered to sell the Mende weapons and ammunition, most usefully shells for the batteries of artillery the Mende forces had under their control.
"General. The government dogs are still hiding in Freetown. They control the airport, and the deep water port, and if they so chose could secure the border to Liberia. We need to go back on the offensive."
One of the General's underlings, Colonel Rudo was, much like the General, an aggressive man. The days the Mende forces had spent reorganizing and securing territory had felt like a waste of time.
Lieutenant-Colonel Uzoma was responsible for the council that had led to the seemingly slow progress of the Mende forces after the failed attack on Freetown. "I agree that it is time we begin moving again, General. Colonel. But where? And why? The country is falling apart around us, Sirs, and that foreign businessman is winning the public opinion."
The General nodded slightly and turned to look at the maps of Sierra Leone that were attached to a rolling cork board. Flags marked the positions of his men and supporters, coloured yarn strung between thumb tags indicated their zones of control. Other flags indicated government forces, almost entirely seen around Freetown and the airport. Still others were of places attacked by rebels out of Guinea. And of rogue military elements in the south-east.
"We must end General William-Johnson's resistance as soon as we can. Once that old mule is gone, the government will collapse fully and we can turn our attention to securing our borders once more."
The General studied the map a moment, then nodded curtly, and plucked the flag that marked his artillery assets, handing it off to Colonel Rudo. "Do it."
He turned to Lieutenant-Colonel Uzoma next, and tapped a finger on the map near Masiaka, where another flag, denoting the Red Cross refugee camps. "You will oversee that we gain control of this camp. Our people are hiding there, and the enemy will be wanting to make an example of them after what happened in Freetown."
Colonel Rudo nodded curtly and turned to leave; he would gather his command staff and that of the artillery battery. Lieutenant-Colonel Uzoma was not fond of the implications of the Colonel's orders, but his own were far more to his liking. Rescuing Mende civilians would go far towards bolstering their cause and morale.