| Romanian Civil War |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Romanian armies reaching Brașov, 2009. |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Romania
|  Romanian People's Front
|
||||||
The Romanian Civil War was a protracted armed conflict that took place in Romania from 2001 to 2011. It saw countrywide fighting between the Romanian Emergency Government and the communist Romanian People's Front (RPF) with the latter making significant use of guerrilla warfare.
The conflict began on February 13th, 2001, when the RPF initiated an insurgency with the stated purpose of overthrowing the Romanian Government and establishing a people's republic; it ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord on November 21st, 2011.
The civil war was characterized by numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, including summary executions, massacres, purges, kidnappings, and mass rapes. It resulted in the deaths of over 17,000 people, including civilians, insurgents, and army and police personnel; and the internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly throughout rural Romania. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has received about 63,000 complaints, while the Commission for Investigation of Enforced Disappearances has received around 3,000.
Overview[]
Although not affected by The Armageddon caused by Aum Shinrikyo, Romania faced a massive influx of refugees from Western European countries. On January 10th, 1996, the Romanian United Leftist Front (RULF) was formed, which, together with the Romanian Parliament, was the backbone of the movement for democratic change. However, communist insurgents groups, uncomfortable with the alliance between the RULF and the Paraliament, formed a parallel front: the New People's Communist Party (NPCP). The NPCP called for elections to a constituent assembly, and rejected compromises made by ULF and the Congress party with the palace. In November 1996, the Romanian People's Socalist League, or RPSL, was formed, and included key elements of the NPCP. On January 21st, 1997, the RPSL set up the United People's Front of Romania (UPFR), with Ana Blandiana as its head, as an open front to contest elections. The RPSL held its first convention on November 25th, 1997; it adopted a line of "protracted armed struggle on the route to a new democratic revolution", and decided that the party would remain an underground party. In the 1996 election, the RPSL became the third-largest party in the Romanian parliament. However, disagreements within the RPSL surged, regarding which tactics were to be used by the party. One group argued for immediate armed revolution, while the other group claimed that Romania was not yet ripe for armed struggle.
On May 22nd, 1999, RULF & UPFR were both split in two. The militant faction later renamed itself the Romanian People's Front, or the RPF. This faction described the government forces, mainstream political parties, and the monarchy, as "feudal forces". The armed struggle began on February 13th, 2001, when the RPF carried out seven simultaneous attacks over six districts.
Timeline[]
Early Years (2001 - 2008)[]
- February 13th, 2001: Initiation of "the people's war" by the Romanian People's Front (RPF).
- January 2006: The Romanian Government creates the Wolverine Force, a paramilitary force to fight the insurgents.
- May 28th, 2006: Chairman Nastecu gives an interview with Romanian Media
- June 1st, 2006: A Romanian Border Guard Post is attacked by the RPF
- August 3rd, 2006: The first round of peace talks begin.
- November 23rd, 2006: Peace talks collapse when the RPF withdrew and launched a ferocious attack on Police and Army posts in 42 districts.
- November 26th, 2006: The government of Brașov County declares a nationwide State of Emergency and deploys the Nepal Army
- December 2nd, 2006: The Global Counter-Terrorism Operations Command (GCTOC) declares the RPF as a terrorist organization. The United States Congress approves US$12 million to train Romanian Armed Forces officers and supply 5,000 M4A1 rifles.
- January 23rd, 2007: Peace talks collapse.
- May 2007: Large battles fought between Army and Maoist forces at Bistrița-Năsăud County
- May 22nd, 2007: Corneliu Vadim Tudor, acting on the advice of the President, dissolves Parliament and orders new elections. The reason given for the dissolution is opposition to the state of emergency.
- July 11th, 2007: Information leaks out that the Belgian weapon manufacturer FN Herstal is allowed to deliver 5,500 M249 SAW light machine guns to the Romanian government, a decision made by all coalition parties.
- October 4th, 2007: Prime Minister Corneliu Vadim Tudor deposes President Traian Băsescu and the entire Council of Ministers, assumes executive power, and cancels the elections for the dissolved House of Representatives, which had been scheduled for November 11th, 2007.
- October 11th, 2007: Prime Minister Corneliu Vadim Tudor appoints Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu as President.
- January 2008: The United States hold exercises with the Romanian army. RPF insurgents kill the Inspector General of Armed Police, his wife and his bodyguard, while on their morning walk, as they used to do on Sunday mornings, intending to represent general safety to fellow citizens. The Inspector General and his wife, who was a teacher at an international school in the capital, were both unarmed. They were riddled with bullets from AK-47 Rifles and IMI Galil rifles used by the RPF.
- January 29th, 2008: A second ceasefire is established and peace talks begin.
- May 13th, 2008: Code of conduct jointly declared by the government and the CPN-M for the mutually agreed period of cease-fire
- August 17th, 2008: Romanian military and police forces kill 39 RPF rebels in the city of Brașov during an offensive launched jointly by the Army, Police, and Air Force of Romania. 7 soldiers of the Romanian Army and 5 Constables of the Police are also killed in the operation
- August 24th, 2008: The RPF set an ultimatum, threatening to withdraw from the cease-fire if the government does not agree within 48 hours to include the question of the RPF participating in the Parliament of Romania.
- August 26th, 2008: The RPF ultimatum expires.
- August 27th, 2008: The RPF calls for a three-day strike to denounce the Army's attacks on their cadres. The RPF unilaterally withdraw from 29 January ceasefire. Chairman Nastecu's statement revives the rebels' demand for an end to democratic rule in favor of a "people's republic", stating, "Since the old regime has put an end to the forward-looking solution to all existing problems through the ceasefire and peace talks, we herein declare that the rationale behind ceasefire...and peace process has ended."
- August 28th, 2008: RPF hitmen shoot two colonels of the Romanian Army in their homes in Bucharest, killing one and injuring the other.
- August 29th, 2008: RPF insurgents unsuccessfully attempt to assassinate Sebastian Bodu.
- August 31st, 2008: RPF insurgents ambush a Romanian police outpost in Târgu Mureș, killing 4 policemen.
- September 2nd, 2008: RPF insurgents ambush a Romanian outpost in Brașov, killing 2 policemen and injuring four others.
- September 27th, 2008: "Fifteen people including 8 rebels and 4 policemen were killed and suspected Maoists bombed five government utilities despite the guerrillas' plans for a nine-day truce from October 2nd, 2008, officials said. Eight RPF terrorists were killed in a gun battle with security forces at Târgu Mureș, a police officer said. 4 Policemen were also killed. Elsewhere in eastern Romania, the RPF killed two policemen, a Constable & an Head Constable, and a woman selling beetle nuts, in the Târgu Mureș area, an official said. 'A group of seven RPF descended from a public bus when police were checking the passengers and suddenly opened fire from an automatic pistol, killing the three and wounding two others,' said the chief administrator for the region.
- October 13th, 2008: At least 42 Police Recruits and 9 RPFs are killed when an estimated 3,000 RPF Soldiers attempt to storm a Police Training Center in Iași. "'The rebels had snapped telephone cables, set up roadblocks by felling trees or blowing up highway bridges to prevent reinforcements from coming" A witness told Reuters.
- October 27th, 2008: Colonel Adrian Griffith and six Romanian nationals were freed last week 42 hours after being taken captive in Pitești while on a drive to recruit young Romanian soldiers to serve in the US army.
- November 11th, 2008: The Ministry of Defense accuses the RPF of abducting twenty-nine 9th- and 10th-grade students from a Secondary School in western Romania during the previous week.