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Federation of Zimbahuru

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The Federation of Zimbahuru is a landlocked constituent federation of the Union of Eningui. Bordered by Umzantshi to its south, Mbiki to its east, Omdi to its west and Kwama to its north. Its capital is Mvurakufamba, formerly known as Sarton. The smallest of the Eninguian federations, its economy is primarily reliant on agrarian cultivation as well as rare metal mining, and it is a major recipient of developmental subsidies both from the Eninguian central government and Union State foreign aid. It is the successor to the short-lived State of Zimbahuru established after the collapse of Ludovicia.

Due to severe restrictions on immigration and free movement, much of Zimbahuru's internal situation remains highly obscure to those unaffiliated with Eningui's central government. The Zimbahuru branch of the IQembu leSizwe seNingi is a successor to the Godhead Society, founded by Ndabaningi Matibiri.

History
The Republic of Ludovicia was formed in 910 S.C. as a successor of the Dominion of Ludovicia, which had been landlocked and isolated from the broader Thulean colonial empire following Amzance's independence as a republic. Ludovicia quickly became an integral ally of neighboring Amzance, leading to its founding role in the South Zanobia Association. While settler populations were initially comprised largely of Thuleans, sizeable immigration of Guibards, Lebusians and Vestans took place in the decades following, driven by promise of economic opportunities. For most of its history, Ludovician politics were dominated by a minority government, with significant measures of voter disenfranchisement implemented to largely restrict voting to those of Eurysian descent. To its north, Northern Ludovicia served as an autonomous territory, its vast resource wealth augmenting the self-sufficiency of the nation.

Ludovicia was not initially affected by the Twilight War, as its landlocked status had demanded a particular degree of self-reliance. Still, as global supply lines came to a standstill, the south Zanobian republic suffered severe goods shortages, leading then-president David Sharpe to implement the Economic Reconstruction Act, imposing significant degrees of government intervention in the economy and its direction, as well as austerity measures. Despite the economic crisis gripping Ludovicia, insurgent activity was kept to a minimum by the vigil of the Security Forces of Ludovicia. Two rebel organizations founded to oppose minority rule, the Svingo People's Revolutionary Organization (SPRO) and the Front for the Democratic Liberation of Zimbahuru (FDLZ), would form and subsequently be destroyed within the twenty years between 970 S.C. and 0011 R.C. On account of its exemplary performance, the SFL was readily capable of mounting expeditionary counter-terror operations into neighboring states, assisting Ludovicia's allies in the South Zanobia Association with operations against insurgent organizations. Of the SZA's militaries, it was considered second only to the ANAF.

Little is known about Michael Matibiri, the revolutionary leader behind the Godhead Society. Most records assert he came from a 'well to-do' Svingo family, and studied at the Saint Eucles University in Sarton (now Mvurakufamba). It is believed he associated with various Pan-Zanobian student movements during his time in university, though he ultimately grew disillusioned with their ideals. Graduating in 967 with a degree in Diatheca Studies, he became a minister of United Pietist Church-Ludovicia, preaching to rural villages.

The Great Exchange would take place a year later in 968 S.C., seeing the great powers of the northern hemisphere trade nuclear blows with one another, a zeitgeist that imposed heavy millenarian elements to his unorthodox teachings. He quickly grew to prominence despite his young age, using television and radio as a means to proliferate his message. Though vague, the insinuated Zanocentric nature of his beliefs led to conflict with the church's institutions, as well as censorship by the minority government. These matters came to a head with his sacking from the United Pietist Church-Ludovicia in 974. With his followers, Matibiri founded the Word of Mwari Soterian Church, successfully appealing against his censorship from radio and television broadcasts. Many ethnic Svingo would flock to his teachings, believing the United Pietist Church-Ludovicia to largely be in service of minority interests. Following the destruction of the SPRO and the FDLZ, Matibiri secretly founded the Godhead Society in 977 with six of his closest associates, dubbed 'Apostles', believing a secular revolution in Ludovicia to be impossible. The Godhead Society would serve as the elusive secret element behind the public face that was the Word of Mwari Soterian Church, quietly forming connections and manipulating conditions within Ludovicia in anticipation of the coming revolution. Central to their tenets was the image of 'Great Zimbahuru' — an ancient civilization that had once existed in the region, known only through its vast ruins. Matibiri believed these reminders of their peoples' ancient history were the prime refutation of minority rule.

Coalition material support to the South Zanobia Association would dwindle with the emergence of the Quisquellan War, quickly leading to a second cascading destabilization among the member states of the SZA. The SFL would continue militarily backing its allies. Moderate opposition to settler rule, in the form of the Zimbahuru People's Party, would form out of local Zanobian politicians and pardoned SPRO/FDLZ leaders, petitioning the Ludovician government to initiate multilateral talks for the eventuality of free and fair elections. The Zanobian Township Act of 0017 R.C. would open up avenues for limited local political representation, with the ZPP achieving a spree of victories in the countryside. That same year, Amzancian president Andreas Müller agreed to multilateral peace talks with UMkhonto weNingi and various lesser opposition groups in Amzance, further agitating calls for majority democratic rule in Ludovicia. President Noah Vickers followed suit in December of 0017, peacefully mediating a mutiny of Zanobian soldiers in the process of doing so. With free elections slated for 0021 R.C., a drastic diversification of Ludovicia's political climate took place. Dissatisfied with the moderate slant of the ZPP and the incumbent National Citizens' Party, multiple populist parties at the fringe ends of the political spectrum formed.

Displeased with their exclusion from multilateral talks, the SFL plotted a coup d'etat similar to the ANAF's, with both militaries coordinating their respective conspiracies in coordination with one another. Operation Heckler, as it would come to be called, would be planned to take place parallel to the ANAF's Operation Gemstone. On June 8th of 0018 R.C., the SFL seized all government offices in the capital, establishing a provisional military junta and putting president Vickers under house arrest. All initiatives towards free elections were reversed overnight, leading to widespread outrage from the majority of the population. The ensuing SFL response to demonstrations was harsh and decisive, leading to the imprisonment and execution of a multitude of opposition leaders. With many political movements practically decapitated overnight, much of the ensuing government resistance was ragtag in nature, with many militants declaring themselves to be the successors of the long-defunct SPRO and FDLZ. Widespread civil unrest and the reemergence of insurgent organizations forced the Security Forces of Ludovicia to focus inward, withdrawing from many fronts in allied nations. Faced with the possibility of government crackdown, Matibiri disappeared from the public spotlight, fully dedicating himself to the Godhead Society's militant ambitions. The Hand of Mwari was founded shortly after the coup d'etat, rallying many former insurgents and disgruntled Zanobian officers of the SFL to his cause. In order to secure his legitimacy, a museum heist would take place in Sarton on October 14th of 0018, bringing the Soapstone Sceptre of the legendary Mambo Asina Meso, the 'Eyeless King', under his control.

The collapse of Amzance's government in 0019 R.C. only served to worsen the situation, as the SFL was now overwhelmed with massive human flight from the south. Forces were diverted from the north to answer to the humanitarian crisis, emboldening insurgents in the autonomous territory of Northern Ludovicia. Multiple incursions into former Amzance would be conducted by the SFL, in order to stem and manage the tide of ethnic Eurysian refugees. This would only be exacerbated after the newly-established People's Republic of Umzantshi, established in former Amzance by the victorious UMkhonto weNingi, would meet the border incursions with a declaration of war, putting its nascent military to use in the brief Ludovician War (0019-0022) This culminated in an almost full withdrawal of SFL troops from Northern Ludovicia, further emboldening insurgent forces in the autonomous territory. In 0020, Northern Ludovicia and North-West Amzance would fall to their respective anti-imperialist insurgencies in short order, with Ambica on the verge of collapse. Faced with the possibility of total encirclement, the SFL retreated inward, focusing wholly on their border regions. Though outnumbered, the SFL still had superior training to their Umzantshi counterparts, and held the southern border in a string of tactical victories that denied further enemy advance.

Despite these successes, morale was abysmal. After the downing of Air Ludovicia Flight 411, all civilian air traffic was grounded. In the midst of this desperate climate, Matibiri made his move. Across the country, operatives of the Hand of Mwari committed a series of ritualistic murders targeting the families of key military and political figures, followed by a series of precise infrastructural attacks targeting oil refineries and fuel lines across Ludovicia, a series of events known as the Blood Night. Matibiri revealed himself once more, having taken the 'authentic' name Ndabaningi Matibiri, and used the sceptre to declare himself the returned form of the Eyeless King, chosen by Soter and Mwari. In this hijacked broadcast, he declared Chimurenga against the colonizers. Dormant insurgent cells across the country would activate in the wake of his message, casting the embattled nation into complete turmoil. As Umzantshi's forces crossed into Ludovicia proper, the SFL quickly collapsed on all fronts. Even the soldiers of Umzantshi, hardened by their own war of resistance and its atrocities, were left horrified by the massacres left in the Hand of Mwari's wake. Matibiri would enter Sarton unceremoniously on December 4th of 0022 R.C., declaring the State of Zimbahuru after affirming his victory and renaming the capital to Mvurakufamba. Those of the Ludovician politician establishment that had not died in the fighting were summarily executed on the orders of Matibiri.

The State of Zimbahuru would be short-lived, as it would be folded into the nascent Union of Eningui following the Conference of KwaNdwandwe. Rather than risk the possibility of another war, the other victorious revolutionaries sought to contain the 'nightmare' that was Zimbahuru's government through its symbolic inclusion. Thus, the acolytes of the Godhead Society became the backbone of the IQembu leSizwe seNingi's Zimbahuru branch, becoming its most reactionary faction. The Federation of Zimbahuru was established with little fanfare, as Ndabaningi Matibiri largely concerned himself with reshaping Zimbahuru in accordance to his vision. From 0024 to Matibiri's death in 0031, around a fifth of Zimbahuru's population perished, half of those deaths being Eurysians. While the killings initially targeted those affiliated with the previous regime, as well as the family members of SFL servicemen, it soon grew to encompass businessmen, journalists and political moderates. Matibiri aimed to transform the federation into a wholly self-sustaining agrarian state, as well as a vehicle for his ideology. It is believed Matibiri was assassinated on the orders of Eningui's central government to put an end to his regime of bloodshed. While his successors would also be Apostles of the former Godhead Society, they would quickly scale back his many agrarian campaigns, though they continued to uphold his theological vision. The surviving settler population would be relocated to Nyikamiti, known as Oakesland to its inhabitants.

Today, Zimbahuru remains an elusive, isolated corner of the Union, with travel heavily restricted for outsiders. Due to this secluded obscurity, Zimbahuru is an ideal staging point for the militaries of Eningui and the Union State. Though secular on paper, most Isizweists in Zimbahuru adhere to the Church of the Godhead, the legal successor to the Word of Mwari Soterian Church, and most MuDzimbahuru regard Matibiri as a prophet, placing blame for the bloody years squarely on the excesses of his followers. Outside of Nyikamiti, little to no legacy of the former Republic of Ludovicia exists architecturally, as almost all colonial architecture was destroyed during Matibiri's rule.