Liberated Zone of Port Félix
| Liberated Zone of Port Félix | |||
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| Motto: Freedom Through Resistance Liberté par la Résistance | |||
| Anthem: The Port Felix March | |||
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| Map versions | |||
| Capital | Port Félix | ||
| Largest city | Port Félix | ||
| Official language(s) | Alexandrian Babkhi Pallisican | ||
| Official religion(s) | None (secular state) | ||
| Demonym | Port Felixian | ||
| - Adjective | Port Felixian | ||
| Government | Provisional democratic government (dissolved) | ||
| - Provisional Administrator | Antoine Roussel (captured) | ||
| - Military Commander | Colonel Marie-Claire Rousseau (captured) | ||
| - Legislature | Port Felix Provisional Council (dissolved) | ||
| Establishment | 15.I.1745 AN | ||
| Area | 890 km² | ||
| Population | 1,147,794 (pre-liberation census) | ||
| Currency | Mérite (disputed) | ||
| Calendar | Norton Calendar | ||
| Time zone(s) | CMT+2 | ||
| Mains electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz | ||
| Driving side | Right | ||
| Track gauge | Standard (1,435 mm) | ||
| National website | pf.libre (defunct) | ||
| National forum | |||
| National animal | |||
| National food | |||
| National drink | |||
| National tree | Maritime Pine | ||
| Abbreviation | LPF, PF | ||
The Liberated Zone of Port Félix was a short-lived breakaway territory that declared independence from the National Salvation Council of Oportia on 3.II.1745 AN following the Port Félix Arsenal Raid and was recaptured by NSC forces on 18.II.1745 AN.[1] Located in the southeastern region of what was formerly the federal city of Port Félix, the zone encompassed the urban center and its immediate environs, covering approximately 450 square kilometers with a pre-liberation population of 1,147,794.
The liberation was led by the Oportian Defense Consortium under Colonel Marie-Claire Rousseau, who had coordinated the successful arsenal raid that freed 127 political prisoners and captured significant military equipment. The zone operated under a dual military-civilian administration headed by Provisional Administrator Antoine Roussel, the former mayor, alongside Military Commander Colonel Rousseau.
The Liberated Zone represented the first and only successful territorial challenge to the National Salvation Council's authority since the 1744 Oportian coup d'état, serving as a 15-day experiment in democratic governance that inspired resistance movements throughout Oportia before being crushed by overwhelming military force.
Background
The zone was established following the dramatic Port Félix Arsenal Raid of 3.II.1745 AN, when Oportian Defense Consortium forces overwhelmed NSC security at a military arsenal, liberating 127 political prisoners including former mayor Antoine Roussel and capturing substantial weapons and equipment. The successful raid provided both the leadership and military capability necessary to challenge NSC control over the territory.
Governance
The liberated zone operated under a unique dual administration combining military and civilian leadership. Colonel Marie-Claire Rousseau served as Military Commander, responsible for defense and security operations, while former mayor Antoine Roussel acted as Provisional Administrator, overseeing civilian governance and public services.
The zone implemented democratic assemblies that met openly, providing a stark contrast to the authoritarian rule of the National Salvation Council. These assemblies passed resolutions condemning political repression while establishing committees for education, healthcare, and economic planning. The civilian administration successfully coordinated with military commanders while maintaining transparency in decision-making.
During its brief existence, the zone restored civil liberties that had been eliminated under NSC rule and provided social services to the population. The governance structure demonstrated the combination of military effectiveness and civilian participation that international observers praised as a model for post-conflict governance.
Fall of the zone
Operation Iron Fist
The zone's independence ended after a three-day assault launched by the National Salvation Council on 16.II.1745 AN. Dubbed "Operation Iron Fist" by NSC military commanders, the offensive deployed an estimated 2,400 troops supported by armored vehicles and artillery against roughly 600 resistance fighters defending the territory. The assault began with artillery bombardments targeting resistance positions around the city's perimeter. Faced with overwhelming military force and the prospect of urban warfare that would endanger civilians, Colonel Rousseau ordered a strategic withdrawal rather than subject the civilian population to destructive combat. "We came to liberate, not to destroy," Rousseau stated in a final radio broadcast from the zone. "Our withdrawal today confirms we can continue the fight tomorrow, with the knowledge that freedom is possible because we have lived it here."[2]
Strategic withdrawal
Military analysts noted that while the zone's collapse represented a tactical victory for the NSC, the resistance conducted an effective withdrawal that preserved most of its fighting force. Intelligence reports suggest Colonel Rousseau successfully evacuated the majority of her troops along with captured weapons and equipment from the original arsenal raid. The Oportian Defense Consortium achieved what experts considered their primary objective: demonstrating that resistance forces could not only defeat regime troops but also govern territory effectively. This message resonated far beyond Port Félix, inspiring similar attempts elsewhere in Oportia between 5-12.II.1745 AN.[3]
NSC recapture
National Salvation Council forces completed their recapture of Port Félix on 18.II.1745 AN, beginning what human rights organizations would later document as one of the most brutal repression campaigns since the 1744 Oportian coup d'état. The systematic campaign of retribution that followed marked a dark turning point in the NSC's treatment of civilian populations suspected of collaboration with resistance forces.
In the immediate aftermath of the recapture, Oportian Security Forces conducted mass arrests throughout the city, detaining an estimated 2,300 civilians on charges ranging from "collaboration with terrorists" to "crimes against state security." Witnesses reported summary executions began within hours of NSC forces entering the city center, with security personnel executing suspected resistance sympathizers in public squares as a warning to the population. The Department of Internal Security established temporary detention facilities in three converted warehouses, where interrogations were conducted using systematic torture methods. Former detainees who later escaped reported electric shock treatments, prolonged beatings, and psychological torture designed to extract information about remaining resistance networks and sympathizers who had fled the city.
Mass executions took place at the Port Félix Municipal Stadium over a five-day period from 19-23.II.1745 AN, with security forces forcing families to witness the killings of suspected collaborators. International monitoring organizations estimate that between 340-450 civilians were executed during this period, though exact numbers remain disputed due to the regime's restrictions on independent verification. The repression extended beyond suspected resistance members to include civic leaders, teachers, and medical personnel who had participated in the zone's democratic assemblies or provided services during the liberation period. The NSC characterized these executions as "necessary cleansing of terrorist elements" and warned that similar measures would be applied to any territory that attempted to break away from regime control.
By 25.II.1745 AN, an estimated 1,200 civilians had fled Port Félix, joining the growing refugee population in neighboring territories. The mass exodus continued for weeks as reports of torture, forced disappearances, and arbitrary executions spread throughout the city's remaining population.
The brutal repression in Port Félix served as a deliberate demonstration of the costs of resistance, with the NSC using the recaptured city as an example to discourage similar liberation attempts elsewhere in Oportia. The campaign of terror effectively eliminated any remaining organized resistance within the city while sending a clear message about the regime's willingness to use extreme violence against civilian populations.
See also
- Port Félix Arsenal Raid
- 1744 Oportian coup d'état
- National Salvation Council
- Democratic Restoration Committee
- Oportian Defense Consortium
- Port Félix
- Joseph Fouche
- Antoine Roussel
- Marie-Claire Rousseau
