Historical Boundaries and Contemporary Separatism: The African Secessionist Challenge

Nejat Hussein () and Yonatan T. Fessha ()
Additional contact information
Nejat Hussein: University of the Western Cape
Yonatan T. Fessha: University of the Western Cape

A chapter in The Future of African-European Relations, 2025, pp 179-194 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The impact of historical colonial legacies in Africa has profoundly shaped contemporary political challenges and the landscape for modern secessionist movements. Since independence, Africa has witnessed 20–25 notable cases. Despite this, none have achieved independence since South Sudan’s referendum in 2011, highlighting the resilience of African borders. Thus, this analysis delves into the socio-political factors driving these movements, the responses of national governments, and the implications for future separatism on the continent. The chapter contends that, despite the socio-political challenges and resource wealth in many African states, secessionist movements are relatively rare. This rarity can be attributed, in part, to the enduring strength of the artificial borders established during the colonial era. It concludes by discussing the future of secessionism and the ongoing tension between autonomy and state unity in Africa.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:aaechp:978-3-031-85810-9_17

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031858109

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-85810-9_17

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().