SECESSIONISM in AFRICAN POLITICS Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, Disenchantment
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PALGRAVE SERIES IN AFRICAN BORDERLANDS STUDIES SECESSIONISM IN AFRICAN POLITICS Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, Disenchantment EDITED BY LOTJE DE VRIES, PIERRE ENGLEBERT, AND MAREIKE SCHOMERUS Palgrave Series in African Borderlands Studies Series Editors Gregor Dobler Institute for Ethnology Freiburg University Freiburg, Germany William Miles Professor of Political Science Northeastern University Boston, MA, USA Wolfgang Zeller Centre of African Studies University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK African borderlands are among the continent’s most creative and most rapidly changing social spaces. Because their unique position offers more flexibility to social actors, they reflect changes on the national level more quickly and more radically than most inland locations. The Palgrave Series in African Borderlands Studies is the first series dedicated to the exploration and theoretical interpretation of African borderlands. It contributes to core debates in a number of disciplines and provides vital insights for practical politics in border-related issues, ranging from migration and regional integration to conflict resolution and peace-building. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14666 Lotje de Vries Pierre Englebert • Mareike Schomerus Editors Secessionism in African Politics Aspiration, Grievance, Performance, Disenchantment Editors Lotje de Vries Pierre Englebert Wageningen University & Research Pomona College De Bilt, Utrecht, The Netherlands Claremont, CA, USA Mareike Schomerus Overseas Development Institute London, UK Palgrave Series in African Borderlands Studies ISBN 978-3-319-90205-0 ISBN 978-3-319-90206-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90206-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018948197 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover design: Hajo Schomerus Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG part of Springer Nature. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland PRAISE FOR SECEssIONIsM IN AFRICaN POLITICs “Secessionism in African Politics navigates through highly contested and charged terrain of secessionism and self-determination. The concepts still invoke strong feelings. The anthology challenges our theoretical, legal and empirical perceptions of the field. It will certainly generate well-deserved debate. A valuable reading for scholars, students, policymakers, NGOs and civil society organisations.” —Redie Bereketeab, Senior Researcher, Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden, and Editor, “Self-determination and Secessionism in Africa: The Post-colonial State” “With secessionist sentiment on the rise in Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Kenya – to name but a few – this book could not be more timely or significant. Combining in-depth case studies with theoretical rigour and an illuminating comparative per- spective, it will be essential reading for years to come.” —Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham, UK “The survival, over fifty years after independence, of the African states haphazardly established by European colonialism, questions basic assumptions about viable statehood. Only in north-east Africa – in Eritrea, South Sudan and arguably Somaliland – has the territorial integrity of these states successfully been chal- lenged, and even there only within boundaries already laid down under colonial- ism. This book examines the sources of secessionism and the obstacles to it, and its troubled legacies even in those cases where it has succeeded. It makes a vital con- tribution to the understanding, not only of secessionism, but also of the continu- ing bases of African statehood.” —Christopher Clapham, Professor, Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, UK “Secessionism is currently receiving global attention and this edited volume, com- paring fifteen on-going African secessionist claims, is timely and welcome. The book vi PRAISE FOR SECESSIONISM IN AFRICAN POLITICS reminds us that despite the limited success stories of African secessionist movements, secessionism is very much a dream, discourse, argument, and activity across the continent. Through the rich and nuanced case-studies, we are reminded that seces- sionism is a complex political phenomenon; the call for a redefinition of state bound- aries is linked to political grievances, sentiments of marginalization, historical narratives, and economic projects that operate outside the boundaries of the territo- rial state. The chapters of the book list an array of reasons for the secessionist claims, and bring up vital questions of identity and history, marginalization, or ideology. This volume provides a comprehensive study of contemporary African seces- sionist movements exploring its roots, changing relations to the territorial state, and the international community. The volume’s main contribution is the richness in its coverage and the systematic comparison of the root causes of the myriad of ambitions and complexities of secessionism.” —Lise Rakner, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway “This book is the most comprehensive volume on secessionist movements in Africa to date. For five decades, Africa’s borders were, with a few exceptions, kept intact by an agreement made at the 1963 Organisation of African Unity meeting where African countries committed to working to preserve colonial borders after inde- pendence. Nevertheless, secessionist movements have continued to exist, buoyed by the failures of postcolonial African states to live up to their promises, as this book effectively demonstrates. The remarkable range and depth of cases in this collection, in addition to its broad historical, comparative, and legal perspectives, makes this a volume an important contribution to our understanding of the con- temporary African state.” —Aili Mari Tripp, Wangari Maathai Professor of Political Science and Gender & Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA “This is an important book on a surprisingly under-studied topic in contemporary Africa. Far from being a rare and predominantly historical phenomenon, this vol- ume demonstrates the salience of secessionism across a wide range of cases in Africa and the distinct varieties in which it can be divided. With an impressive cast of well-known authors, this volume presents a significant step forward in our understanding of past and present secessionism in Africa, its inherent challenges and contradictions. But the book is also indispensable reading for anyone inter- ested in statehood, state-society relations and armed conflict in Africa.” —Denis Tull, researcher at the Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM), France “A well-qualified team of contributors produced this thorough exploration of a key theme of African politics.” —Crawford Young, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA SPONSOR SERIES ACKNOWLEDGMENT The African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) is an interdis- ciplinary network of researchers interested in all aspects of international borders and trans-boundary phenomena in Africa. The network held its inaugural meeting in Edinburg in 2017 and has since grown to over 300 members worldwide. ABORNE’s core funding is provided by member- ship fees and, from 2009 to 2014, by the Research Network Programme of the European Science Foundation. vii viii SPONSOR SERIES ACKNOWLEDGMENT The European Science Foundation (ESF) was established in 1974 to provide a common platform for its Member Organizations to advance European research collaboration and explore new directions for research. It is an independent organization, owned by 78 Member Organizations, which are research funding and research performing organizations, acad- emies, and learned societies from 30 countries. ESF promotes collabora- tion in research itself, in funding of research, and in science policy activities at the European level. ADVISORY BOARD David Coplan (University of the Witwatersrand) Pierre Englebert (Pomona College) Jan-Bart Gewald (University of Leiden) Thomas Hüsken (University of Bayreuth) Georg Klute (University of Bayreuth) Paul Nugent (University of Edinburgh) Cristina Udelsmann Rodrigues (Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala) PUBLISHED