Denil Accords

The Denil Accords is the armistice which ended the Kaljuran Civil War. It was signed by Vice-Chairman of the Council of Defense Gintaras Baravykas, representing the Republic of Mordvania, General Aarin Eenpalu representing the Kaljurand Federal Mandate, Sigibert Dezart representing the Kingdom of Nerysia, and Secretary Mark Felding representing the Federation of Florinthus. Eerik Oviir, a representative of the West Kaljurand's Iossilinn government were present during the signature, although he did not officially signed the agreement. However, the Iossilin government passed a resolution vowing to respect and fulfill the Denil Accords in late 1577, which was later confirmed by the Western Kaljurand's Parliament in 8 Alvan 1580. The armistice was signed on 28 Septem 1577 in Denil, Florinthus, to "insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Kaljurand until a final peaceful settlement is achieved".

No "final peaceful settlement" has been achieved yet. The signed armistice established the Central Kaljurand Demilitarized Zone (de facto a new border between the two nations), put into force a cease-fire, and finalized repatriation of prisoners of war. The Central Demilitarized Zone runs not far from the 60th parellel, originally dividing the town of Pihlak in two.

Background

In early 1574, Kaljurand -officially known as Federal Mandate of Kaljurand- descended into a civil war, after government forces harshly repressed political demonstrations in Keskula, Iossilin, Bausan, and other Kaljuran towns, developing into an uprising against the Kaljuran regime. The ensuing clashes claimed the lives of five seven police officers and 58 protesters. Ten days later in a speech, Leader of the Technocratic Council Kristian Sirel blamed "foreign conspirators" pushing Mordvanian propaganda for the protests.

Until 8 Alvan, the protesters predominantly demanded democratic reforms, release of political prisoners, an increase in freedoms, abolition of the Technocratic Council and an end to corruption. After 22 Alvan, the emphasis in demonstration slogans shifted slowly towards a call to overthrow the technocratic regime as a whole. By early Marth 1574, 1,000 civilians and 200 soldiers and policemen had been killed and thousands detained;among the arrested were many students, liberal activists and human rights advocates.

Significant armed rebellion against the state began on late Marth in Iossilinn. Unverified reports claim that a portion of the security forces in Iossilinn defected after secret police and intelligence officers executed soldiers who had refused to fire on civilians. Later, more protesters in eastern Kaljuran took up arms, and more soldiers defected to protect protesters.

On late 1575, the Republic of Mordvania intervened in the civil war, after a skirmish between Mordvania's Republican Guard and Kaljuran Armed Forces on the Mordvania-Kaljuran border, which resulted in 8 Mordvanian soldiers wounded and 13 Kaljuran soldiers dead. Mordvanian government had reportedly been supplying eastern Kaljuran rebel with weapons and humanitarian aid, and six month before it became the first governmetn to recognize eastern Kaljuran government in Iossilinn as the "only legitimate government" in Kaljurand.

Mordvania's Council of Defense announced the establishment of several non-fly zones in Eastern Kaljurand, in order to "protect civilians...from war crimes and to assure the transport of humanitarian aid". Mordvanian intervention was close to cause a direct military conflict between the Republic of Mordvania and the Kingdom of Nerysia, which was the main ally of the Federal Mandate of Kaljurand. On mid-1576, Florinthian Prime Minister Ben Blanckenship tried to openly mediate between Mordvania and Nerysia in order to reduce tensions between both governments.

By late 1576, Mordvania and Nerysia were discussing terms for an agreement to end the Kaljuran civil war. The desired agreement would end the fighting, provide assurances against its resumption, and protect the interests of both countries. Florinthian Secretary of Foreign Affairs Mark Felding proposed there needed to be a military armistice commission of mixed membership that would supervise all agreements. Mordvania demanded to make a demilitarized zone that would be roughly 30 miles wide, something that West Kaljurand strongly opposed. The agreement would address the issue of prisoners of war which the Nerysian government believed should be exchanged on a one-for-one basis.

While talks of a possible armistice agreement were circulating, in early 1577, West Kaljurand's Minister Major General Anders Oles publicly opposed peace talks. Nerysian Foreign Minister did not endorse Kirsipuu's position. At the end of Marth, however, General Edvin Kirsipuu, the leader of the West Kaljurand's Military Government after the assassination of Kristian Sirel, decided to support armistice talks.

Like Kirsipuu, East Kaljurand's leadership also sought unification. The Iossalinn government was wary of an armistice on purely military terms and demanded free and fair elections in all Kaljuran territory. East Kaljuran was pressured to support armistice talks by their ally Republic of Mordvania, whose support enabled East Kaljurand to continue fighting and avoid a large offensive by West Kaljuran and Nerysian forces.

Armistice discussions

Talks concerning an armistice started on 28 Marth 1577 in Pihlak, a town defended by Eastern Kaljuran forces in which the West Kaljurand's Armed Forces controlled a few districts on the west. The two primary negotiators were Nerysian Major General Genseric Tothamir and Mordvanian Minister of Defense Milan Kravanja. After a period of three weeks, on Fein 21, 1577, a five-part agenda was agreed upon after a second meeting in Tarleton, Florinthus, and this guided talks until signing of the armistice on Septem 28, 1577. The items to be discussed were:

1. Adoption of agenda.
2. Fixing a military demarcation line between both sides so as to establish a demilitarized zone as a basic condition for cessation of hostilities in Kaljurand.
3. Concrete arrangements for realization of a ceasefire and armistice in Kaljurand, including composition, authority and functions of a supervisory organization for carrying out the terms of a truce and armistice.
4. Arrangements relating to prisoners of war.
5. Recommendations to the governments of the countries concerned on both sides.

After the agenda was decided, talks proceeded slowly with off and on again discussions. A major, problematic negotiation point was prisoner of war repatriation. The eastern rebels held 10,000 POWs and the Kaljuran regime held 80,000 POWs. The sides could not agree on a system of repatriation because many West Kaljurand's soldiers refused to be repatriated back to the West, which was unacceptable to the West Kaljurand's leadership. In the final armistice agreement, a Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission, headed by a Florinthian official, was set up to handle the matter. Upon agreeing to the armistice, the belligerents established the Central Kaljurand Demilitarized Zone, which has since been patrolled by West Kaljurand, East Kaljurand, Nerysian forces, and Mordvania's Republican Guard. Discussions continued slowly because of difficulties regarding demarcation of the border between West and East Kaljurand. West Kaljurand demanded that the former Kaljuran capital, Keskala, on the eastern coast, belonged to the Federal Mandate of Kaljurand. Within weeks, however, both nations accepted the final border agreement.

On early Septem 1577, delegates reached agreement covering all issues on the agenda regarding an armistice. On Septem 28, 1953, at 12:00 a.m. the armistice was signed by Gintaras Baravykas, representing the Republic of Mordvania, General Aarin Eenpalu representing the Kaljurand Federal Mandate, Sigibert Dezart representing the Kingdom of Nerysia, and Secretary Mark Felding representing Florinthus. Twelve hours after the signing of the agreement, all regulations approved in the armistice commenced.

Effects

The signed armistice established a “complete cessation of all hostilities in Kaljurand by all armed force” that was to be enforced by the commanders of both sides. Essentially a complete cease-fire was put into force. The armistice is however only a cease-fire between military forces, rather than an agreement between governments. No peace treaty was signed which means that the Kaljuran Civil War has not officially ended.

The armistice also established the Central Kaljuran Demilitarized Zone. It was decided to be a 2.5-mile (4 km) wide fortified buffer zone between the two Kaljuran nations. The Central Kaljuran Demilitarized Zone is currently the most heavily defended national border in Brigidna.

The Armistice also established regulations regarding prisoners of war. The agreement stated that "within fifty (50) days after this agreement becomes effective each side shall, without offering any hindrance, directly repatriate and hand over in groups all those prisoners of war in its custody who insist on repatriation to the side to which they belonged at the time of capture". Ultimately, more than 10,000 West Kaljurand's soldiers refused repatriation.

In addition to the established regulations listed above, the armistice also gave recommendation to the "governments of the countries concerned on both sides that, within two months after the Armistice Agreement is signed and becomes effective, a political conference of a higher level of both sides be held by representatives appointed respectively to settle through negotiation the peaceful settlement of the Kaljuran question". So far, these issues have not been settled as a peaceful settlement of the Kaljuran question has not been reached and Nerysian and Mordvanian troops still reside in both sides of the border. After the armistice was signed the war is considered to have ended even though there was no official peace treaty.

Subsequent events

On Ochyr 8, 1577, six days after the signing of the Denil Accords, Zvezdana Serebryak, Mordvania's President of the Republican Council, announced aid package to Eastern Kaljurand to help with reconstruction and financial stability.

On Vintyr 2, 1577, West Kaljurand's General Edvin Kirsipuu claimed that the "illegal ceasefire between Mordvania and Kaljurand will not last". Mordvania's Chairman of the Council of Defense Bozidar Strnad answered "that Mordvanian Armed Forces vowed to defend East Kaljurand against any violation of the Denil Accord by Western Kaljuran forces", in a public statement, while Mordvania Minister of Foreign Affairs Mika Lohk called Western Kaljurand authorities to solve differences with East Kaljurand in the negotiation table.

However, on Alvan 8, 1578, General Edvin Kirsipuu and Major General Anders Olesk were assassinated in city of Bausa, West Kaljurand, being Kirsipuu replaced by General Aarin Eenpalu as leader of West Kaljurand's Military Government. In his first speech as leader of the West Kaljurand's government, General Eenpalu declared that the Federal Mandate of Kaljurand "would be willing to consider negotiations on reunification with the East". Mihkel Vitsut was announced as West Kaljurand's negotiator for a first round of negotiations under the Denil Accords days later. However, the negotiations failed after four months.

A second round of negotiations started in mid-1579, meeting West Kaljurand, East Kaljurand, Nerysian, Mordvanian, and Florinthian representatives in Mestarka, Mordvania, lasting only three weeks. West and East Kaljurand's representatives would not meet again until early 1581, in direct negotiations in Pihlak, East Kaljurand, but this third round of negotiations broke after two months of discussions.