Secessionism in African Politics

Secessionism perseveres as a complex political phenomenon in Africa, yet often a more in-depth analysis is overshadowed by the aspirational simplicity of pursuing a new state. Using historical and contemporary approaches, this edited volume offers the most exhaustive collection of empirical studies of African secessionism to date. The respected expert contributors put salient and lesser known cases into comparative perspective, covering Biafra, Katanga, Eritrea and South Sudan alongside Barotseland, Cabinda, and the Comoros, among others. Suggesting that African secessionism can be understood through the categories of aspiration, grievance, performance, and disenchantment, the book's analytical framework promises to be a building block for future studies of the topic.

1. Africa's Secessionism: A Breakdance of Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, and Disenchantment.- 2. Tuareg Separatism in Mali and Niger.- 3. Anglophone Secessionist Movements in Cameroon.- 4. Ethiopia, Somalia and the Ogaden: Still the Running Sore at the Heart of the Horn of Africa.- 5. Western Sahara and Morocco: Complexities of Resistance and Analysis.- 6. Anjouan and secessionism in the Comoros: Internal Dynamics, External Decisions.- 7. Zanzibar in the Tanzania Union.- 8. The front(s) for the liberation of Cabinda in Angola: a phantom insurgency.- 9. Against the Grain: Somaliland's Secession from Somalia.- 10. The Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de Casamance: The Illusion of Separatism in Senegal?.- 11. United in Separation? Lozi Secessionism in Zambia and Namibia.- 12. Biafra and Secessionism in Nigeria: An Instrument of Political Bargaining.- 13. Katanga's Secessionism in the Democratic Republic of Congo.- 14. "We Didn't Fight for This": The Pitfalls of State and Nation Building in Eritrea.- 15. A state of contradiction: Sudan's unity goes South.- 16. Shifting Grounds for African Secessionism?.