List of historical separatist movements in Africa

This is a list of historical separatist movements in Africa. Separatism includes autonomism and secessionism.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2023)

Criteria

What is and is not considered an autonomist or secessionist movement is sometimes contentious. Entries on this list must meet three criteria:

1. They are no longer an active movement with active members.
2. They are demanded greater autonomy or self-determination for a geographic region (as opposed to personal autonomy).
3. They were citizens/people of the conflict area and did not come from another country.

Under each region listed is one or more of the following:

• De facto state (de facto entity): for unrecognized regions with de facto autonomy.
• Proposed state: proposed name for a seceding sovereign state.
• Proposed autonomous area: for movements towards greater
  autonomy for an area
  but not outright secession.
  • De facto autonomous government: for governments with de facto autonomous control over a region.
  • Government-in-exile: for a
    government based outside of the region in question
    , with or without control.
  • Political party (or parties): for political parties involved in a political system to push for autonomy or secession.
  • Militant organisation(s): for armed organisations.
  • Advocacy group(s): for non-belligerent, non-politically participatory entities.
  • racial/regional/religious
    group(s).

(To Gain independence from Algeria on July 5, 1962)

• Political party: Mouvement D'Auto-Détermination De la Kabylie (MAK)
• Rebel organization: Front de Libération Nationale is calling for its dissolution. The French is describing it as a terrorist movement.
• Parallel government: Provisional

Angola

• Political party:
  National Front for the Liberation of Angola
  (FNLA)
• Parallel government: Revolutionary Government of Angola in Exile (GRAE)

Botswana

• Political party: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Botswana People's Party (BPP)

Burundi

• Political party: Union for National Progress (UPRONA)

Cameroon

• Political party: Rassemblement camerounais (RACAM), Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC)
• Rebel organizations: National Liberation Army of Kamerun (ALNK)

Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau

• Political party: African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Struggle Front for the National Independence of Guinea (FLING)

Central African Republic

• Political party: Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa (MÉSAN)

Côte d'Ivoire

• Rebel organization:
  Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
  (MPCI)

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Political party:
  Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), ABAKO

• Political party: Wafd Party

Eritrea

• Rebel organization: Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF)

France (associated territories)

• Réunion

Autonomist movement

• Political party: Communist Party of Réunion (which still exists, but has abandoned its goal of autonomy)^[1]

Ghana

• Political party: Convention People's Party (CPP), United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC)
• Self-government experiment:
  Fante Confederation

Kenya

• Political party: East Africa Association, Kenya African National Union (KANU), Kikuyu Central Association, Young Kikuyu Association
• Rebel organization: Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA or Mau Mau)

Mali

• Political party:
  Sudanese Union
  (US)

Mauritius

• Political party:
  Mauritius Labour Party (MLP), Mauritian Militant Movement
  (MMM)

• Political party: Istiqlal Party, National Action Bloc

Mozambique

• Political party:
  Mozambican Liberation Front
  (FRELIMO)

Namibia

• Political party:
  South West Africa National Union
  (SWANU)
• Rebel organizations: People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN),

Niger

• Political party:
  Nigerien Progressive Party, Sawaba

• Political party: Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), Action Group, Egbe Omo Oduduwa, Northern People's Congress
• Sessionist Entity: Indigenous People of Biafra

São Tomé and Príncipe

• Political party:
  Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe
  (MLSTP)

Seychelles

• Political party:
  Seychelles People's United Party
  (SPUP)

Sierra Leone

• Political party: Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), West African Youth League (WAYL)

Somalia

• Political party: Somali Youth League (SYL)

Somaliland

• Rebel organization: Somali National Movement (SNM)

South Africa

• Secessionist movement: Eastern Cape Separatist League

Sudan

• Political party:
  Umma Party

Tanzania

Tanganyika

• Political party: Tanganyika African Association, Tanganyika African National Union

Zanzibar

• Political party: Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP), Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP)

Tunisia

• Political party: Destour, Young Tunisians, Neo Destour (ND)

Uganda

• Political party: Rwenzururu Secessionist Movement, Uganda People's Congress (UPC)

Zambia

• Political party:
  Northern Rhodesian African National Congress, United National Independence Party (UNIP), Zambian African National Congress
  (ZANC)

• Political party: Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU)
• Rebel organizations: Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA)

See also

• List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies
• List of active separatist movements recognized by intergovernmental organizations
• Lists of separatist movements

References