The Meftiem Invasion

The Meftiem invasion was an incursion by insurgents from the newly formed Nurist Republic of Derdia onto the territory of neighboring Morella; specifically, the gold-rich Meftiem basin. In 1915, a group of Derdians disguised as miners made it onto one of Morella’s gold processing sites, where they injured and killed a number of personnel before escaping with several hundred kilos of freshly refined gold. The Derdian government swiftly issued a public statement denying any official involvement in the incident, portraying it as an isolated act by rogue extremists. Soon afterwards, Morella claimed to have discovered evidence indicating that elements within the Derdian government had not only been aware of the planned invasion but had actively supported it, driven by the desire to finance their nascent government and bolster their national reserves with gold. The invasion led to a complete breakdown of relations between the two countries, which had already been on uncertain terms since the dissolution of the Empire of Moridia. In the following years, the Derdia-Morella border became increasingly militarized. The Meftiem International Trade Zone was established, not only as a bulwark against future attacks, but to incentivize international governments to isolate Derdia diplomatically.