Amiré

14% No religion

7% Manukism

3% Catholicism

**Amiré**, officially the **Republic of Amiré**, is a Shangolese state off the coast of Marabu. It shares a border with Jyran Eyobia, along which the demilitarized zone lies. It has a population of 85 million people. Amiré is, by area, the largest island state in Agartha. It is also colloquially known as the Shango, however, this term has fallen more out of use since its use began declining in the 80s. The national capital and largest city is Jaramodezana, which is also the nation’s economic center.

Human settlement in modern-day Amiré occurred before the first millennium AD by Ganonic seafarers from the east. These were joined in the third millennium AD by Burugo migrants crossing the Yoswa Channel from east Marbaya. Other groups continued to settle on the island over time, with different groups filling certain niches according to their environments. Until the late 17th century, the entire island was made up of an array of city-states, kingdoms, and clans. From around 1640 to 1690, the island was consolidated into just four states.

It was in 1740 that Jyrnao established the port colony of St. Marlor, which was recaptured by the Shango Empire in 1787. The Shango Empire reached its peak in 1836 and eventually split into two states in 1849. The Mauvapaj Dynasty was established in the north and eventually fell under the control of the Jyran Empire in 1861. Using its northern territory as a launching point, the Jyrans continued to subjugate and vassalize much of the island until it was made up of three states in total. The largest of the three was the Shango Protectorate (under the Jyran Empire), with the others being the Kingdom of Yemiya and the State of Kitamba. The Shango Protectorate gained independence in 1960, rebranding itself as the Federative Republic of the Shango. Immediately, the State of Kitamba opted to join the federation. An uprising in the Kingdom of Yemiya prompted a Shangolese intervention in 1961. This led to the six-year Shango-Yemite War just to stabilize the territory.

Political unrest and economic uncertainty mixed with active military conflict ripened conditions for the eventual 1963 coup, which saw then-president Zasa Bmuka deposed and replaced with Colonel Joseph Mizawbe during wartime. At this time, Mizawbe was secretly a high-ranking member of the Islander Nationalist Party, which influenced many of his policies. The coup was supported by Jyrnao in order to counter communist influence in Bmuka's administration. Mizawbe voiced plans to negotiate with Yemiya and even organized high-level meetings with diplomats and foreign observers. His attitude changed after the unsuccessful Battle of Bukananga in 1964, after which he heightened the Shango's military spending and ultimately led his country to total victory in 1966. The electoral process was unsuspended just a few months later, with Mizawbe losing power during the period and publicly declaring himself a nationalist. After being elected back into power under the title of President, he released two literary works: *Characterizing Islander Society* and *Ideology of the Land*. His rhetoric grew fervently anti-colonialist and after surviving an assassination attempt allegedly staged by Jyrnao, he slammed the country as a 'nation ruled by rats'. On December 13, 1966, he declared the dissolution of the Federative Republic of the Shango and proclaimed the Republic of Amiré. Mizawbe's new government formed a unitary state with two autonomous regions (Bansu and Mesepo). The *Islander Nationalist Party* was renamed the Patriotic Party which was made the single ruling party. The *Armed Forces of the Shango* was renamed to the National Defense Force and as a consequence of the resulting purges, several armed groups and soldiers organized into the Shangolese Resistance Movement for Democracy, which was supported by Jyrnao and a few other Evropean countries. The SRMD was defeated by 1972, with all groups either having been crushed or come to an agreement with the government.

In 1973, Mizawbe announced the initiation of the Self-Determination Campaign which was aimed at *decolonizing Amiré*. Towns and rivers across the country were renamed according to Shangolized local names. Literacy campaigns were also a major component of this era, being the means by which much of the then-illiterate population pulled themselves out of poverty to accompany Amiré’s industrialization. While the effects of the initiative were felt across Shangolese society, the Self-Determination Campaign also sought after economic goals, such as the increased industrialization of agriculture, promotion of urban farming, weapons production, and zero external debt, the latter of which wasn’t achieved until long after Mizawbe’s reign in 2006.

In 1981, a militant communist group called the People’s Militias launched a people’s war against the government. This was doubled by the declaration of a jihad by the Islamic Front of the Shango. While most of the country had been stabilized, weapons from the 70s never left circulation and had ended up in the hands of dissident groups in the countryside. Both groups had been defeated by the end of the decade.

The 1980s saw the expansion of heavy industry and the rapid growth of the Shangolese economy. Cooperation with the International Monetary Fund in 1984 had served as an opportunity for closer relations with Evrope, which was entirely reversed by 1991. In 1987, there were rumors of a coup, which led Mizawbe to initiating a purge of the intelligentsia and military.

The 90s defined Amiré’s geopolitics up until now. In 1991, efforts to make amends with Evropean countries had been reversed. The country’s nuclear program, which had been optically civilian in nature throughout the late 70s and 80s, became a point of contention with the international community. Amiré tested its first nuclear weapon on January 6th, 1993, and has been subject to heavy sanctions ever since. In 1994, Amiré was the first country to recognize the State of Yoswa, which was a newly-established Molangitist-led government. They began providing key logistical support to government forces, still being involved in the deadly civil war to this day.

In 1995, Mizawbe’s administration banned the sale of alcohol, going on to ban its consumption in 1999. These laws were strictly enforced, especially in the nation’s autonomous regions (which are predominately Muslim). Despite some calls for the regulations to be lifted, the government proceeded to impose a series of dietary laws which banned the use of seed oils and excessive sweetener. Mizawbe stepped down in 2000, leaving room for his successor, Thomas Bushabe.

Thomas Bushabe expanded the ideological sector and increased the military’s finances threefold. While he was initially open to negotiation, he soon proved to be following in Mizawbe’s footsteps, refusing to negotiate with the international community in 2004 and initiating a series of nuclear tests. In addition, zero external debt was achieved in 2006. Amiré developed a missile capable of hitting Jyrnao by 2009, a feat marveled at by nuclear scientists across Afrika and the world. In 2011, a wave of protests sprung across the country, taking the capital and other major cities by storm. Student protestors demanded the establishment of a multi-party democracy, with the protests turning into riots after a few days. The military opened fire on rioters, leaving at least fourteen uninvolved persons deceased due to being caught in the crossfire. The riots had been quelled by early 2012. Blame was placed on *foreign elements.* Despite international pressure, Amiré’s nuclear program continued to progress. Bushabe refused to run in the 2015 election despite being guaranteed to win.

## Etymology

The country's name, *Amiré*, is derived from the Singazu word for "united land" and first fell into use among certain nationalists around 1940. The Islander Nationalist Party decided upon *Amiré* as a result of the 1965 INP Congress. Its followers began pushing for widespread use of the word, with those opposed to Mizawbe's administration rejecting his *Amirization campaign* from 1966 onward. The anti-government diaspora continues to refuse *Amiré*.

Prior to the adoption of *Amiré*, the only other commonly accepted way to refer to the country was *the Shango*. This name, however, was given by Jyran expeditionary forces and was enforced by colonial administrations. Mizawbe sought "maximum decolonization" in order to "reinforce a nationalism founded in the ashes of the colonial state, which inadvertently gave rise to a uniquely Shangolese universality".

*Shangolese* and *Amirian* remain interchangeable demonyms for Amiré. While *the Shango* and *Amiré* are usually interchangeable, *Amiré* is mostly preferred by the population, while much of its diaspora in Western countries prefer *the Shango*.

## Government & politics

The Amirian constitution states that the Republic of Amiré is a "politically conscious state based on a democratic dictatorship of the intelligentsia." The Amirian government has been variously described as nationalist, corporatist, and neo-traditionalist, but also as authoritarian even by Afrikan standards. Amiré is the most stable country on the continent. Heavy restrictions are in place regarding press, access to the internet, and freedom of religion.

Harai Ogutu was appointed Premier in mid-2015 in a landslide victory, making calls to the Electorate that he would seek its expansion in the following months. While elections in Amiré aren't considered public elections, the 2015 election is regarded as the most open in Shangolese history by Western press. Ogutu's administration imposed a two-term limit for premiership and did away with a lot of excess bureaucracy.

### Patriotic Party of Amiré

The main body of the Amirian constitution declares that the PPA is the "defining feature of Amiré's sovereignty" and the "guiding force of the facilitation of nation-building." Amiré is a one-party state, wherein the First Theoretician holds ultimate power and authority over state and government and serves as the paramount leader.