United Republic of the Congo (URC)

The United Republic of the Congo (French: Royaume-République du Congo), abbreviated URC, is a country founded in 2017 out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, with its capital being Kinshasa. The URC primarily used former DRC government establishments, such as the flag and coat of arms, but some elements were changed, such as the motto and the anthem. The URC had a considerably greater economy than its predecessors, with the GDP being at $347.9 billion. At the same time, most of the country's cities and towns were modernized, and the Armed Forces of the URC were modernized. The United Nations rated the URC as the most stable and richest nation in Africa.

The URC was formed following the 2016 Congolese military coup, in which Major General Joseph Khamisi took control of the country from the vastly unpopular president, Joseph Kabila. Later, in 2017, President Khamisi signed an annexation agreement with the president of the Republic of the Congo, which was being plagued by rebellion. The URC was then created following the Declaration of Unification, signed by Presidents Khamisi and Neo Baako of the Republic of the Congo. At 2,686,858, it is the tenth largest nation on the planet, and the fourteenth most populated with over 90 million people.

The URC had positive relations with neighboring states, which it viewed as allies in need of help. Those included the Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Angola, and South Sudan.

Formation


The foundations for the United Republic of the Congo were first laid during the 2016 Democratic Republic of the Congo coup d'état, when the corrupt and unpopular President Joseph Kabila was overthrown by Major General Joseph Khamisi after a skirmish in Kinshasa. Kabila was implementing very unpopular policies, and his approval rating dropped to 26%. Mass riots in Kinshasa took place shortly before the coup, though were dispersed by police. Khamisi was aided by the 7th, 8th, and 11th Brigades of the army, while Kabila was defended by roughly a thousand Republican Guards. Kabila was killed on June 10, 2016.

Joseph Khamisi was sworn in as president on June 11. No one objected, as the former general was considered to be a "man of the people". He quickly forced every Western corporation out of the country, and began an overhaul of the extraction of the country's vast natural resources. This greatly boosted the economy, as the DR Congo was one of the most resource-rich countries on the planet. Many corrupt politicians were sacked and replaced. At the same time, the Congolese armed forces and national police were reformed, and a military police was formed to keep the troops in line. Corruption and crime levels dropped quickly. The country's GDP skyrocketed.

In June 2017, the nearby Republic of the Congo experienced the outbreak of an insurgency in the northwestern province of Sangha. The Congo Liberation Army (CLA) began a campaign to take over the country. The Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo attempted to stop them, but the CLA quickly took over several districts. President Neo Baako asked the DRC to help. President Khamisi promised to end the CLA rebellion if the Republic of the Congo merged with the DRC. With the rebels advancing, President Baako did not have much of a choice and signed an agreement, making the Congo states unified as one.



The Declaration of Unification became the nation's founding document, signed on August 6, and the United Republic of the Congo was officially declared on August 8. Integration programs and talks began shortly afterwards, and the UN recognized the nation. Neo Baako became the Prime Minister.

Rise to prominence
Throughout the rest of 2017, integration of the two republics continued. It was done by December 2017, and finalized January 2018. During those months, the GDP of the URC went up from their combined natural resource sales. Factories were built all over the country by order of Khamisi, who knew resources would not help them forever. Manufacturing slowly began, boosting the GDP a little. The infrastructure continued to be vastly improved, and a highway and railway system was built. Education was especially funded, and new standards were set. Schools were greatly improved.

The insurgency in the Sangha province was quickly mopped up. The chief of army staff of the FARUC, the Armed Forces of the United Republic of the Congo, deployed 10,000 troops there (the combined militaries equaled to about 200,000 personnel). The CLA numbered at about 2,500, many of whom defected to the FARUC in the early months. About half of the province was under rebel control. In November 2017, an offense has begun to retake the towns captured by CLA forces. They were quickly pushed back, with light casualties taken by the FARUC. In January 2018, the FARUC 18th and 19th Brigades of the FARUC Army, covered by the 2nd Air Wing of the FARUC Air Force, advanced on Souanké, the headquarters of the CLA.

The city of Souanké, where the 900 defenders were led by the rebel commander, Awiota Lumbashi, was located on the Cameroon—URC border. About a thousand Cameroonian troops were also deployed by their government to aid the UR Congo, which was an ally of theirs. The FARUC attacked on the morning of January 14, heading from the south. Congolese forces quickly took the outskirts, but started slowing down until a column of ten T-72 tanks moved in for support. At the same time, the Cameroonian Army advanced from the border into the northern part of the town, which also fell quickly. They met up at the city center six hours later, by which point, all militiamen were dead or defected.

After the insurgency ended, the URC became a bigger player on the national stage. All other countries recognized the UR Congo, and it was given a seat on the United Nations General Assembly. It made a lot of trade deals with China, Russia, and several European states. President Khamisi visited the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Minsk, Belarus, in March 2018. New trade deals were made their with CIS states. At the same time, the URC also made deals with other nearby African countries, most notably the Central African Republic (CAR).

The militaries of URC, CAR, Cameroon, Gabon, and South Sudan took part in military exercises in southern CAR in April 2018.

Central African War
In February 2019, tensions rose with Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and the Mali. Mainly, they were border disputes between Cameroon and Nigeria, which were arguing over several kilometers of land. Chad had the same argument in northern Cameroon and CAR. Mali and Niger backed Nigeria and Chad, while URC, South Sudan, and Gabon announced support for Cameroon and CAR. Not too long afterwards, Uganda and Rwanda joined on the dispute on the side of Nigeria. The United Nations tried to solve the issue, but it did not work as Nigeria and Chad refused any talks without the conditions that they get the disputed territory.

In May 2019, Nigerian border troops opened fire on Cameroonian Gendarme officers. Cameroon declared war, beginning the Central African War.

Administrative divisions
The URC is divided into twenty-three provinces, with two special status cities (Kinshasa and Brazzaville).