On their first training exercise, freshly minted soldiers from the newly founded nation of Giangibouti ended up in Caseyblanca, Smartaford, Tantananarivo, and Wingtucky.
Residents of these four countries woke up Boxing Day not only to find spectacular shopping bargains but also a foreign soldier wandering in their backyard. Indeed, in each country they woke up to find a single Giangiboutian infantry officer.
Puzzled locals soon heard the Giangiboutian government claiming it was an accident but many questioned how the troops got there. For example, Smartaford and Wingtucky are both situated far away from Terra Praeforium where the Giangiboutian training exercise was held.
"This is just beyond me," claimed one Tantananarivo woman. "I was just lining up in front of the Present Store [Lindsholmic electronics outlet] when I see this guy decked out in full military gear walking by the PS2 display!"
The Tantananarivan government expressed similar bewilderment. On December 27, an envoy was sent to Giangibouti to lodge a formal complaint. While en route, the Giangiboutian soldier was noted to have hastily left the country.
Giangiboutian troops still remain in Caseyblanca, Smartaford, and Wingtucky. The President of Congressional Parliament has already ordered Giangibouti to remove its soldiers or face reprocussions.
International lawyers, meanwhile, are worrying about legal reprocussions, as any country under the occupation of a foreign power for a duration of seven days is automatically annexed. In several academic circles, there is widespread discussion as to whether Caseyblanca, Smartaford, and Wingtucky would fit the bill.
