Craftian War of Independence

The Craftian War of Independence (commonly known as the Liberation War or the Great War of Craftia in Craftia, and the War of Craftian Secession in the Miners Republic) was a conflict fought between the Craftian Revolutionary Army (the army of the Province of Craftia, later the Province of East Craftia) and the government of the Miners Republic, which lasted from 5 July 1978 to 1 January 1987.

The island of Craftia had been part of the Miners Republic since its annexation in 1892. Although partial self-government was achieved in 1945, Minean leaders remained in the province with large amounts of power. Tensions increased through the 1960s and 1970s as a result of the Miners Republic's diplomatic actions and treatment of Craftians. The economy of Craftia had also suffered greatly for a majority of the first half of the 20th century and the Miners Republic had refused to assist. Various Premiers of Craftia, including William McArthur (1951–53) and Harry Harrison (1969–74), attempted to establish treaties for secession, first peacefully, then more aggressively when these were ignored by the Minean government. Jim McIntyre, an army general-turned politician who became Premier in 1974, began a nationalist and separatist campaign to secede from the Miners Republic. In response, the Miners Republic increased its military presence in Craftia, which broke out into conflict with civilians and the Craftian army alike in late June 1978. The start of the war is usually placed on 5 July 1978, which was the date of the invasion of Craftia by the Minean government.

The war continued for more than 2 years without much progress from either side. The Miners Republic, which had conquered mostly the southwestern parts of the island, refused to agree on a ceasefire or stalemate situation and continued to fight. On 31 May 1984, the UN partitioned the island of Craftia into two parts (East Craftia, controlled by the Craftian Revolutionary Army, and West Craftia, controlled by the Minean government) as a temporary solution to prevent further advancement of the war. However, fighting still continued and a majority of UN members changed sides and gave support to the Craftian Revolutionary Army-controlled East Craftia, and sanctions were placed on the Miners Republic. By the end of 1984, the war had tipped in the CRA's favour, with the Craftian army controlling approximately five eighths of the island and the Miners Republic controlling the remaining territory, mostly in the south-east corner of the island. By late 1986, most large-scale fighting had stopped and the Miners Republic had suffered large losses. The Craftian Treaty was signed and ratified on 10 December 1986. At 12:01am ECST 1 January 1987 the treaty went into effect and the Miners Republic officially relinquished all control of the land it had lost during the war, with the remaining area becoming the legal successor to the Province of Craftia (1945–1984), being renamed the Province of West Craftia, while the territory now claimed by Craftia became the Autonomous Region of Craftia.

The UN-planned 1987 referendum took place on 15 March, asking whether Craftia should become an independent nation or retain the status quo (autonomy under the Miners Republic). An overwhelming majority of voters (98.7%) voted for 'Yes' (independence). On 16 September 1987, the Autonomous Region of Craftia declared independence as the Republic of Craftia. The Minean-controlled Province of West Craftia remained as a province of the Miners Republic until 30 March 1992, when it was granted independence as the People's Republic of Craftia.