2019 South Xiomeran Sea Tensions

2019 South Xiomeran Sea Tensions
Xiomeran warship seen during initial interception of the Zamastanian 2nd Fleet
Date 18 November 2019 - 29 December 2019 Location South Xiomeran Sea
Belligerents
Zamastan Supported by: United New England	Xiomera Legionas Supported by: Eiria Shen Kerlile Lauchenoiria
Commanders and leaders
Foley Sakzi	Yauhmi Nicholas Moretti
Units involved
Zamastan 1st Fleet 2nd Fleet	Legionas Third Fleet
Strength
Zamastan 27 ships 4 planes 400 troops	Xiomera 6 ships 2 planes Legionas 38 ships
Casualties and losses
0	0

The 2019 South Xiomeran Sea Tensions were a series of naval encounters in the South Xiomeran Sea between Zamastan and Xiomera and Legionas. The tensions began when a Zamastanian fleet entered Xiomeran territorial waters without permission, ignoring repeated requests to turn around. The burgeoning conflict was halted by the Maivers Conference in Laeral in December 2019.

Background

The day before the first naval incursion, President Foley Sakzi had just won a special election following the ousting of Anya Bishop from power. His status as a new president may have made him more wary of being seen as weak if he backed down after the initial incident. Tensions between Xiomera and Zamastan had also been high since the August 2019 Trade War.

Incidents

Naval Incursions

On November 18, the Zamastanian 2nd Fleet strayed two kilometres into Xiomeran territorial waters. One ship in the Zamastanian fleet, the ZMS Harodia under the command of Admiral Percy Tavoka, received a warning by Xiomeran authorities to change course; however Takova did not share this warning with the rest of the fleet. Two Xiomeran planes flew nearby as a warning, followed by an interception force of 6 Xiomeran ships escorting the Zamastanian fleet out of Xiomera's territorial waters. This led to condemnations of Zamastan from a number of different nations including two democracies, Lauchenoiria and Eiria.

Despite condemnations, President Foley Sakzi refused to apologise for the incursion, with the vast majority of Zamastanians supporting his stance on the matter. Indeed, polling showed that over 60% of Zamastanians supported taking military action against Xiomera. Zamastan then sent two ships to patrol just outside Xiomeran territorial waters, raising tensions further. Two days later, Zamastan tested new anti-ship missiles; claiming this was a response to Xiomera's test of a "ship-killer" vessel a week earlier.

Three days after the missile test, Zamastan sailed their 1st Fleet through the South Xiomeran Sea in a "freedom of navigation exercise", despite rising tensions. They also later sent another task force through the area on the eve of the proposed (later cancelled) Sharanfo Conference while reinforcing troops on the nearby Holish Islands. Zamastan had been opposed to the Sharanfo Conference since its proposition, claiming it was an attempt at forming a coalition against them.

Legionas Flyby

On November 23, jets belonging to Zamastan intercepted the Legionite Third Fleet, which was patrolling in the South Xiomeran Sea; at one point coming within 30 feet of the flagship. While Legionas considered this a dangerous military escalation, most Zamastanians supported the actions of their military.

International Response

Zamastan's actions were condemned by both Xiomera and Legionas, alongside Shen, Rhand, Kerlile, and - more unexpectedly - Eiria and Lauchenoiria. Lauchenoiria had initially asked for more facts, and thus the Lauchenoirian condemnation came after Xiomera provided the Lauchenoirians with evidence that the Zamastanian ships had indeed been warned not to enter Xiomeran waters. In response, Xiomera also began conducting joint military exercises with Shen and Rhand.

Proposed Sharanfo Conference

To discuss the matter, Shen invited involved parties to a conference in Sharanfo. However, this conference came under criticism for being biased towards Xiomera. Legionas pulled out of the conference, causing most other parties to pull out of the conference also. The Sharanfo Conference was eventually cancelled.

Maivers Conference

Most of the parties involved in the conflict, whether militarily or solely through statements of support, were invited by Laeral to an alternative conference at the Maivers Château which aimed to ensure peace in the region and reduce tensions on all sides. This invitation was accepted by all parties invited with the exception of Rhand. Neither Kerlile nor Lauchenoiria were invited to the conference, despite their condemnations of Zamastan; however neither party objected to this omission.