Secessionist Claims and State-Building: The Emergence and Trends in Eastern Africa

Abstract

Since the end of colonial rule in Africa in the 1960s, Africa’s state politics has been littered with secessionists’ narratives, aspirations and a few definitive separations in different countries, albeit with varying degrees and frequency. The Eastern Africa region presents an interesting case for the general analysis of secessionism, particularly in Africa. Today, the region hosts a successful, failed and active secessionist agenda. This chapter comparatively analyses the emergence and trends for countering secessionist claims in Eastern Africa while also generating insights for discerning secessionist discourses and political action or public policy in Africa. Two questions are addressed: What explains the similarities in the emergence, escalation, maturity and final separation of a section of a state into a newer state, given experiences drawn from some nations in Eastern Africa? What policies and mechanisms apply in addressing the secessionists’ claims and problems of secessionism rooted in various parts of Africa? The chapter concludes with general remarks on the intricacies of secessionist claims underpinned in the ethnic-nationalist variables and a complex mix of socio-economic, historical heritages and political dynamics specific to each state.