Kolda

Republic of Kolda
Flag
Motto: "By the People For the People"
Anthem: The Black Star
Capital	Guédiawaye
Official languages	French
Recognised national languages	Kango, Arabic
Recognised regional languages	Spanish, Fonyiara
Demonym(s)	Koldan
Government	Republic
• President	Etienne Senghor
Establishment
• Founding Date	June 18th 1984
Area
• Total	46,816 km2 (18,076 sq mi)
• Water (%)	16%
Population
• Estimate	16,800,000
HDI	0.618 medium
Currency	Koldan Franc (KFA)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+209
Internet TLD	.KL

Kolda, officially known as the Republic of Kolda is a mid-sized state located in Neria, south of Lehvant with a population of 16,800,000. Kolda was founded in 1984. Although the country became independent, from 1964 to 1984, Kolda was under the control of the minority-rule government led by Andrien Duchamps and was known as Brissac. The country went through a civil war leading to the control of the socialist president, Seynabou Gano. After the Gano was couped by the military in 2009, his vice president Edouard Senghor took control and Senghor remains President today despite political opposition in the 2019 election.

Etymology

The name Kolda comes from the ancient empire of Kolda that existed from the years 800 to 1300 and built a number of structures including the Great Palace of Guédiawaye. Kolda itself means "collection of honorable warriors" From 1964 to 1984, Kolda was known as the Republic of Brissac, with the name Kolda being a symbol of liberation against the Arrivee government. In 1984, the name Kolda was adopted along with a number of traditional words being incorporated as place names.

History

Kolda has been settled by organized humans since at least 10,000 BCE, with the first documented evidence being the Wassau stone monuments created by an unknown civilization. It’s believed this civilization achieved its peak around 400 CE before desertification led to the mass immigration of those living there. Around 800, the Kolda Empire came to prominence. At this time the empire became recognized for trading with states located to the north. This also led to the spread of Islam across the country's northern region. The capital city of Kolda, Guineawaye became a center of trade science, and invention. Around 1200, the empire adopted Islam as its official religion and began a massive conquest of surrounding lands. This led to a golden age of innovation during the 1300s, however, in 1540, a season of droughts led to the collapse of agriculture causing civil unrest and the collapse of the empire. In 1580, the Costenan Empire established the colony of Encataria and established a deal with surrounding states to send those defeated in battle to the colony to be sold as slaves to other colonies such as Slokais Islands, then known as San Fernando. In 1786, Kolda was taken by France as the colony of Brissac. The French built the city of Port de Saint Paul in 1810, before being transferred to Laeral after their independence. The city was quickly built to be molded in the French style with ornate buildings and wide streets. Over the next several decades, Arrivee began to establish settlements further inland leading to conflict. By 1920, 70% of the land in Kolda was owned by non-Koldans, with many leaving the countryside to work in factories in Saint Paul. In 1938, a revolt began in Moudjerria calling back to the Koldan Empire, as a result, many of the artifacts were stolen or destroyed as a means of suppressing dissent. In 1925, the State of Brissac was created as an affiliate state of Laeral, under a system of minority rule. Only Arrivee and Lehvantain had the right to vote and hold positions in government.

In 1938, Jayesh Al'ajdad began the Moudjerria Revolt, an organized revolt by native Moudjerrian Muslims. Their targets were the symbols of colonialism such as French schools, settlements, and churches. In total about 10,000 settlers were killed and around 75,000 moved to nearby regions. In response, the government deployed the military along with local militias to attack Moudjerrian villages and force them entirely beyond the Guireres River. Over the course of a decade over 100,000 Moudjerrains were moved into the resource-poor desert. Following this territory was reallocated to various settlers and large companies that employed Andharian laborers. These land reforms also were instituted across the country. In 1962, Brissiac joined Laeral in the Great War although units were segregated, with Koldan units often being seen as more expendable. However nationalist political thinkers forced Brissiac to withdraw in 1964 at the same time Brissiac was re-organized into the Brissiac Republic. As Koldan political power grew in the post-war period tension increased into the Brissiac-Koldan War (also known as the Great Alaafiya War). Economic inequality as well as a lack of civil and political rights for Koldan's grew support for the KLF, especially in rural areas. From 1974 to 1984, a period of constant guerilla war occurred primarily in Kolda proper, although several KLF raids destroyed infrastructure in Brissiac. Eventually, the KLF managed to gain control of territory across rural Kolda forcing the government of Andrien Duchamps to begin negotiations in 1984 with Saint-Nazaine Conference. The result of this conference between Koldan moderates and Brissiac was the intended creation of a multi-racial republic with Brissiac's political power being protected. In the resulting, 1984 Election, the KLF-U and Seynabou Gano won a narrow victory. Following this victory, the KLF quickly seized the power of industry and the military changing much of what was agreed upon in the Saint-Nazaine Conference.

For the following two decades, Kolda was under the complete control of the KLF-U and Seynabou Gano. Gano implemented widespread land reforms by evicting over 50,000 Arrivees from rural Kolda and forcing an internal migration to Brissiac. Through the 1990s, newly minted farmers took over these tracts collectively. Economically this collectivism failed, and exports of key crops such as rice and yams decreased. Additionally, infrastructure projects such as the K-10 Highway commenced using primarily high-skilled labor for urban areas. Gano also preached socialist ideas such as anti-imperialism worker's collectivism and state ownership. However, the regime was criticized for corruption and a policy known as Les Gens Séparation. This policy was for reforms and state planning to ignore Brissiac entirely in exchange for Brissiac being isolated from the rest of Kolda. As economic prosperity in Brissiac grew in the 2000s, thousands of Koldans attempted to illegally enter Brissiac, leading to the border being fortified by both sides. The regime collapsed in 2009 with Gano's being forced out of power by Colonel Adama Daouf due to internal party politics. Gano then fled to Brissiac leading to Kolda engaging in a brief civil war as the Koldan Republican Army briefly overwhelmed Brissiac forces. Soon, however, Edouard Senghor working with Brissiac recaptured Guineawaye in late 2009, not before Gano was assassinated in his estate in Saint-Paul.

Senghor quickly implemented reforms drawing widespread support allowing for him to be democratically elected in 2010 and 2014. Although, Senghor maintained elements of the regime such as state control of planning and the policy of Les Gens Séparation. When nationwide protests occurred in 2017, the military suspended internet access before killing around 40 protesters in various incidents. In the following, 2019 Election the KLF-U maintained control despite allegations of intimidation and voter fraud. Starting in 2020, an insurgency began in Moudjerria due to state control of mines being sold to the Brissiac mining company Descoteaux and Pirot.

Geography

Kolda is made up of 5 regions starting with Rivières located along the Banguala River that forms the natural boundary between the arid north and forested south. To the south is the Region of Brissac, located in the foothills of the Orome Mountains. In the east is the mostly rural, forested region of Kendougou-Sabourisse. To the north is the mostly semi-arid Moudjerria Region home to much of the Arabic-speaking population of Kolda. Finally the most populous province of Guinewaye-Lennes home to the capital city of Guinewaye.

Climate-wise, Kolda can be divided into three regions, the arid Mandjin desert that makes up the Moudjerria region, eventually converting into dry grassland in central Kolda, known as the Koldan Plans. In the west of Kolda is the swampy Rivières home to a majority of the population as well as the capital of Gunieawaye. This era is home to much of the nation's agricultural areas with crops such as rice, corn, and sorghum. Eastern Kolda is a sparsely populated jungle home to much of Kolda's biodiversity. In the south is the Region of Brissiac, characterized by large farms and rolling hills.

Demographics

Ethnic group
	2021
	Population	%
Arrivée	3,330,769	19.8%
Arrivée: Brissiacans	2,486,983	14.8%
Arrivée: Kolda Arrivée	372,969	2.2%
Arrivée: Moudjerria Arrivée	84,012	0.5%
Costenan	117,703	0.7%
Other Arrivée	201,605	1.2%
Ren	67,201	0.4%
Koldar	10,216,274	60.8%
Leubar	7,813,833	46.5%
Faeleme	352,809	2.1%
Kendouga	1,377,636	8.2%
Andharian	285,607	1.7%
Koldar: Brissiacans	386,789	2.3%
Mixed	722,419	4.3%
Arab	2,386,10	14.2%
Moujerrians	1,697,198	10.1%
Amazigh	686,410	4.1%
Other:	151,204	0.9%
Total:	16,803,944	100%

Relgion

The most prominent religion in Kolda is Christianity with 58.5% identifying as Christian followed by Islam at 27.2%, the remaining population is either non-religious or part of the growing Diawara movement. Historically, Islam was the largest religion, first arriving in the Koldan Empire around 900, and eventually becoming the official religion of the empire. The first university, the Koldan House of Knowledge for example was created in 1278 to educate Islamic scholars. After colonial arrival during the 1600s many people, especially those who practiced various folk regions adopted Christianity. Today, while the Koldan state is officially secular, the government is dominated by Christians with Islamist scholars often being political subjugated.

Language

French Creole is the primary language of Kolda replacing a wide arrange of regional languages. Initially French was pushed by the Brissiac Republic during the 1920s. French language proficiency rates remained in the low 20s until the 1980s when rural education was expanded heavily by the Gano Administration, who promoted French Creole. Today, around 84% of people speak some French although only 37% are native speakers. Additionally, Kango and Arabic are used in some signage although not in official government documents or procedures. Kango is primarily spoken in Riveres mostly in rural areas while Arabic is spoken in Moudjerria although many speak a blended form of Arabic and Kango called Fonyiara. Spanish although not recognized is spoken in Riveres by people of mixed Costenonian and Koldan ancestry as well near the border with Kabo Geshaan.

Politics

Kolda uses a presidential system, with the president being the head of state and government. Kolda had traditionally been dominated by the KLF-U or Koldan Liberation Front-Union who have held control of both the National Assembly and the Presidency since 1984. The KLF-U is a traditionally socialist political party although since 2009 has been described as conservative. Elections for president are held every 5 years while parliamentary elections are held at most every 5 years although it can be declared sooner by a majority vote and presidential approval.

As part of the Saint-Nazaire Conference, each region of Kolda has its own Assembly and Senate. Brissiac however has a higher autonomy than other regions with an elected president and assembly. Additionally, Brissac operates its own separate services independent financially from Kolda. Additionally, Arrivee's living outside of Brissiac and organized into communautés, and services are provided internally.

Economy

Kolda's primary industries are Agricultural and Manufacturing. In recent years due to the low cost of labor, Kolda specifically Brissiac has become a hub for the manufacturing of home goods and technology, this concentrated economic development has created a growing development gap between Brissiac and the rest of Kolda with many skilled workers migrating seasonally or yearly to Brissiac for work, living in primarily in prominently Koldan housing developments. Brissiac additionally has several wine vineyards leading to tourism becoming a major industry. Throughout the rest of Kolda, jobs are primarily in the agricultural and mining sectors with rare minerals such as lithium being prominent in the sparse Moujerria region.

Kolda was traditionally a low-income country, with the country being economically impoverished until the 2000s. Although much of the economic progress has been limited to the Brissiac region creating economic inequality further caused by widespread corruption of both the public and private sectors. Large companies such as KM Mining and Descoteaux and Pirot have replaced state-owned companies in terms of political and economic power.