Since the January 30th elections in Mallacland, which were allegedly rigged by the nation's ruling party, The Muslim Union, dozens of protests have sprung up in major cities of the small nation. Responding both to the election rigging allegations and to reports that Mallacalandian police used excessive force in suppressing several of these gatherings, Josephine Alvarez, Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria, announced that the Lauchenoirian Parliament was considering economic sanctions against the Muslim-majority nation.
This afternoon, King Hassan, the juvenile monarch of Mallacaland, reportedly enraged by the Prime Minister's statement, ordered the detainment of every Lauchenoirian within the nation. The Lauchenoirian Embassy in Mallacaland City was also surrounded by the King's forces. It remains unclear what Hassan hopes to gain from all this, though there are unconfirmed reports that the King plans to ransom the Lauchenoirian citizens.
These brazen arrests have stunned the international community, with many politicians around the world calling for military intervention and a regime change in Mallacaland. According to Steven Jones, a Maximusian attorney specializing in international law, these arrests constitute an unprecedented and needless violation of international sovereignty, and are tantamount to a declaration of war.
The Maximusian Department of State has issued a formal advisory encouraging all Maximusian citizens in Mallacaland to leave the nation as quickly as possible. As of this evening, all flights to the micro-state have been grounded as well.
Though no sanctions on Mallacaland have been announced, Lucas Brown, the Conservative President of Libertas Omnium Maximus, explained during a press conference this evening that the Maximusian government is disgusted by Hassan's treatment of the Lauchenoirian citizens and diplomats who have been detained. The President further decreed that any attempt to similarly "hold hostage" Maximusian citizens in Mallacaland would be viewed as an act of military aggression. He concluded the brief conference by requesting that "the thoughts and prayers of all freedom-loving people around the world be sent out to those detained in Mallacaland."
This is an unfolding situation, check back in for regular updates on the event.