Coup underway in San Esperito.
Numerous reports are coming out of the small Caribbean island nation of San Esperito of an ongoing violent coup attempt. Reportedly this coup is undertaken by members of a hardline faction within the country's military led by Colonel Gustavo Calderon as well as paramilitary militias loyal to Calderon. Gunfire could be heard across the small island nation all day as Calderons forces engaging government forces and try to seize control of the island. As things stand now Calderons’s Junta controls 70 % of the island and will likely assume full control early tomorrow. With so many eyes focused on the Serbian invasion of Kosovo and Montenegro this new flashpoint has gone remarkably unnoticed with an official statement from the US and UN still not forthcoming.
Pro Calderon forces attacking the San Esperito post office.
With San Esperito having been hit particularly hard by the recent Hurricane Fiona, and intenational aid mostly directed towards the ongoing conflict in the Balkans, San Esperitos economy has nearly collapsed and living standards have plummeted across the island. As a result the people of San Esperito has turned to political extremes and primarily to Colonel Calderon who is very popular among Esperitoans. Calderon’s great grandfather led the Esperitoan rebels in a revolt against the Spanish that eventually saw the island gain independence. The Calderon family has become something of a permanent dynasty in Esperitoan military circles and the coup seems to have broad public support from the Esperitoan people.
ADA News will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.
Simon Tam
ADA News
War Correspondent