Operation: TANGATA WHENUA

Unggoy society has never been the most robust, a result of the dual pressures of environmental and social factors. The cold, harsh climate of Balaho has kept the Unggoy on the brink of extinction for millenia, saved only by their high rate of reproduction, while their previous culture was almost entirely eradicated by their time as members of the Covenant. When Balaho and the Free Unggoy seceded, it was therefore seen by many as a new beginning for the species. Unfortunately, as with any time of social upheaval, a variety of factions broke out, all pushing their own agendas - some agreed with the Sangheili that they should become an SAF protectorate for their defence, while others argued that they needed to stay independent or face renewed slavery. Others argued for a loose alliance with humanity, while still more railed against the changes that were coming, in their opinion, far too quickly - the spread of education to the masses, rather than a few elite clans, and the increasing use of birth control to restrict population growth and ease the burden on local resources. Ideological differences broke out - some promoted modified versions of the Prophets' teachings, some attempted to restore their pre-Covenant shamnistic and animistic belief systems, and still others promoted the idea of atheistic or secular societies. Factions differed as to whether autonomous nations should be set up, whether there needed to be a world government, or even whether there should be a government at all. Conflict may not have been inevitable, but it would have been very hard to avoid, and in 2562 violence flared up in thirteen different regions, sparking the first battles of the Balaho Civil War.

Operation: WHENUA was, ostensibly, a "humanitarian" mission, with the Interstellar Commonwealth deploying UNSC peacekeeping forces to Bahalo to prevent attacks on civilian population centres, ensure that medical and infrastructure aid was received and not squandered, and to protect local human-built infrastructure and resources. In theory, it was a peaceful mission to help their Unggoy neighbours. In practice, however, the UNSC had humanity's own interests at heart - Unggoy mining operations provided much of the raw materials pouring back to the colonies as humanity rebuilt and reoccupied their former homes, and the security of these resources was deemed a top priority by Secretary General Jerome Smithson, forming the basis of his campaign and his subsequent adminstration's focus on colonial reconstruction rather than military defence. To this end, the rebuilt UNSC 30th Fleet was deployed to the Tala system to secure human interests, ONI advisors and Marine trainers and instructors deployed to train and arm a professional militia for pro-human factions, and otherwise ensure that the system was protected from Blood Covenant or Kig-Yar opportunists. Named by Admiral Brian Rawiri, Operation: WHENUA would later be hailed as a triumphant in inter-species relations, marking the first diplomatic outreach initiated by the UNSC towards another species, its name adopted for the wider conflict, and has since become one of the defining moments of recent Unggoy history, though not without controversy.

Participants
It would be a mistake to divide the Unggoy into "traditionalists" and "modernists", or pro- or anti-human, since both sides of the conflict possessed a large number of all ideologies. Both main factions also faced internal and external opposition from those who resisted attempts to include them, and from those excluded. Historians therefore have a difficult time sorting the various groups

Remarks

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