Ganak Plains War

Shingōan Victory - Sabunese required to accept Shingōan demands

## Belligerents

Imperial Republic of Shingō

Union of Sabun

## Commanders

**Republic of Shingō:**

Prime Minister Noriaki Kondō

Minister of Defense Yoshirō Shibata

General Jikai Miyamoto

**Union of Sabun:**

President Kanal Ulumki

General Elnim Arinak

## Casualties

**Republic of Shingō:**

5

**Sabunese Tribal Forces:**

~126

The **Ganak Plains War**, also occasionally referred to as the **Third Shingō-Sabun War**, refers to a series of limited military engagements between forces of the Imperial Republic of Shingō and the Union of Sabun during a period of undeclared war in 384 G.E. The war was named after the region of Ganak in western Sabun, as much of the conflict centered around southern Ganak. The conflict's widely-accepted start date was 3 June 384, with its end date being June 18th.

The conflict resulted in Sabun being required to withdraw military forces from southern Ganak and also for the Sabunese government to extradite all individuals who had committed crimes in Shingōan territory, especially those with ties to violent nationalist groups. The outcome greatly increased the popularity of Shingōan Prime Minister Noriaki Kondō and his government.

## Causes for War

While Shingō and Sabun had gradually normalized relations following the conclusion of the Second Shingō-Sabun War, tensions between the two countries reemerged starting in 383 G.E. On 14 October 383, members of a Sabunese nationalist group illegally crossed the border into the Shingōan prefecture of Hiraya and proceeded to burn several crop fields and kill two civilians. The incident sparked outrage across Shingō and contributed to the election of Noriaki Kondō, a Reform Party politician with military ties and anti-Sabunese views, as prime minister in the 75th Shingōan National Election. On May 2, 384 Kondō demanded that the Sabunese government extradite the individuals responsible for the incidents in Hiraya the previous year; however, the Sabunese government refused to do so.

On 23 May 384, a fisherman in northwestern Hiraya allegedly shot at a Sabunese fishing boat that had strayed into Shingōan maritime territory. The boat retreated and proceeded to inform a local military garrison. The following day Sabunese troops from the local garrison covertly entered Shingōan maritime territory to track down the Shingōan fisherman and successfully located the man on a makeshift dockyard. The troops then allegedly fired at the man, killing him and harming several others nearby. On 27 May 384, Shingōan Prime Minister Noriaki Kondō issued an ultimatum to the Sabunese government demanding the immediate extradition of the individuals involved. Once again, the Sabunese government refused and, consequently, Shingō shut down its embassy in the Sabunese capital of Imahe.

## Events of the Conflict

On 28 May 384, Prime Minister Kondō met with Minister of Defense Yoshirō Shibata and instructed him to establish defensive positions across Hiraya and prepare plans for a possible invasion of Sabun. By June 2nd, roughly five divisions and six battalions had been stationed by the Shingōan military in Hiraya, however, Sabunese forces in the region had only increased by about two divisions. On the night of June 3rd, a small group of Shingōan soldiers covertly crossed into Sabunese territory in an attempt to capture the individuals responsible for the May 24th killing. It is believed that the group received information about the individuals' whereabouts after bribing several local villagers. By mid-day on June 4th, the group successfully returned with two captured Sabunese soldiers with ties to the killing after engaging in a brief firefight.

On June 5th, two Shingōan patrol boats off the coast of southwestern Ganak were fired upon by Sabunese coastal military forces, with one being severely damaged in the process. After hearing of this, Prime Minister Kondō authorized Shingōan forces to conduct "limited operations against military targets in Sabun." On June 6th, Shingōan artillery forces launched a barrage against Sabunese dockyards and guard towers in southern Ganak and western Osùn. Sabunese President Kanal Ulumki retaliated by ordering Sabunese forces to invade western Hiraya.

On June 8th, a battle occurred involving the 1st Shingōan Mountaineers Brigade and the 6th Shingōan Infantry Division against the 4th Sabunese Cavalry Brigade and the 6th Sabunese Infantry Brigade. The Sabunese forces were forced to retreat by the end of the day, allowing Shingōan troops to invade and capture rural territories in southern Ganak. Sabunese defenders in the region were provided few reinforcements, as it is believed that President Ulumki feared potential full-scale Shingōan invasions in the southeast. By June 10th, Shingōan troops had advanced to the base of the Ganak Mountain Range and were preparing for further attacks. On June 11th, a Sabunese attempt to retake the lost territory occurred and was unsuccessful. On the same day, Shingōan artillery forces targeted various infrastructure sites across central Sabun. On June 12th, Shingōan ground forces had advanced past the Ganak Mountain Range and were within viewing distance of the Sabunese capital of Imahe. Later that day, Sabunese officials traveled to Shingō to negotiate an end to the conflict.

The Treaty of Kitagura, which officially ended the conflict, was signed on 18 June 384. The Union of Sabun was required to extradite all individuals who had "committed crimes in Shingōan territory against the people of Shingō" and were additionally required to withdraw all military forces from southern Ganak. Only local police officers, who could only be lightly armed, were permitted to remain in the area.