List of active separatist movements in Africa

This is a list of currently active separatist movements in Africa. Separatism includes autonomism and secessionism. 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 active movements with living, active members.
2. They are seeking greater autonomy or self-determination for a geographic region (as opposed to personal autonomy).
3. They are the citizen/inhabitants of the conflict area and do not come from another country.

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

• De facto state: for regions with de facto autonomy from the government
• Proposed state: proposed name for a seceding sovereign state
• Proposed autonomous area: for movements toward greater autonomy for an area but not outright secession
  • Ethnic Group(s): for the ethnic groups made up of the area
  • 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 (sometimes called terrorist organisations)
  • Advocacy group(s): for non-belligerent, non-politically participatory entities
  • Ethnic/Ethno-religious/Racial/Regional/Religious group (s): for information on what group of people calls for change for each individual movement listed

Algeria

Kabyle

• Ethnic group: Kabyles
  • Proposed state: Kabylie
  • Political party: Movement for the autonomy of Kabylie^[1]
  • Government-in-exile: Provisional Government of Kabylia (Anavad)^[2]

Angola

Cabinda

• Ethnic group: Cabindans
  • Proposed state: Republic of Cabinda^[3]
  • Government-in-exile: Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda (FLEC) (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples)
  • Political party: Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda (FLEC)
  • Militant organization: Forças Armadas de Cabinda (FAC)

British Overseas Territories

Chagos Islands (currently British Indian Ocean Territory)

• Ethnic group: Chagossians
  • Proposed autonomous or state: Chagos Islands
  • Pressure groups: Chagossians Community, The UK Chagossians Support

(The Chagossians wish to have the right of return to the Chagos Islands - they were evicted from the islands between 1967 and 1973 in order to make way for a British Army and US Army base)

Cameroon

Bakassi Peninsula

• Ethnic group: Calabars
  • Proposed state: Democratic Republic of Bakassi^[4]
  • Pressure group: Bakassi Movement for Self-Determination

Ambazonia (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and Organization of Emerging African States)

• Ethnic group: Southern Cameroons
  • Proposed state: Federal Republic of Southern Cameroon, Ambazonia^[5]
  • Political party: Southern Cameroons National Council^[6]
  • Pressure group: Southern Cameroon Liberation Movement

Central African Republic

• Northern Muslim minority
  • Proposed state: Republic of Northern Central Africa (in French, possibly, République du nord de l’Afrique centrale)
  • Pressure group: Muslim rebel coalition Séléka^[7]

Comoros

• Anjouan
• Ethnic group:
  • Purposed state: Anjouan
  • Political parties: Anjouan People's Movement, Mouvement Populaire Anjouanais, Mawana^[8]

Mohéli

• Ethnic group:
  • Proposed state: Democratic Republic of Mwali^[9]

Republic of the Congo

• South Congo (Brazzaville)
  • Pressure group: Provisional Assembly and governance of the State of South Congo
  • Proposed state: The State of South Congo^[10][11]

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Bas-Congo
  • Pressure group: Bundu dia Kongo
  • Proposed state: Kingdom of Kongo^[12]
• Katanga
  • Political parties: Union of Independent Federalists and Republicans
  • Militant organizations: Mai-Mai community-based militia groups^[13]
  • Status: Sporadic violence
• Kwili, Kivu, Bukavu
  • Status: Insurgency^[14]

Egypt

Breakaway state:

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

• Religious group: Sunnis
  • De facto state:  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • Political organisations: Islamic State
  • Militant organization: Islamic State Mujahideen

Proposed states:

Copts

• Ethnic group: Coptic
  • Proposed state: Coptic State^[15][16] or Coptic Pharaonic Republic
  • Pressure group: Coptic Christians living abroad (Coptic diaspora)^[17]

Bir Tawil

• Ethnic group: Ababda
  • Proposed state: Republic of Ababda
  • Status: Technically independent as both Egypt and Sudan do not claim or control the region but no political organisation within the region currently governs Bir Tawil.

Nubia^[18][19]

• Ethnic group: Nubian
  • Proposed state: Republic of Nubia

Equatorial Guinea

Bioko

• Ethnic group: Bubi
  • Proposed state: Bioko Island
  • Pressure group: Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island
  • Status: The indigenous Bubi people are now outnumbered by Fernandinos and Fang immigrants from the mainland.^[20]

Ethiopia

• Afar Region
  • Proposed state: Islamic State of Afaria
  • Political party: Afar Liberation Front
• Gambela Region
  • Militant organization: Gambella Peoples Liberation Front
• Ogaden ( Somali Region)
  • Proposed state: Republic of Ogadenia (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)
  • Political party: Ogaden National Liberation Front, Western Somali Liberation Front, Ogaden Republican Army
  • Pressure group: Ogaden Youth Association
• Oromia Region
  • Proposed state: Republic of Oromia (also known as Oromia) (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)
  • Militant organizations: Oromo Independence Movement, Oromo Liberation Front, Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia, Conference of Oromiya Peoples Liberation Front, Oromo Youth Revolutionary Movement (also known as Abiddaa)
  • Pressure group: The National Youth Movement for Freedom and Democracy (also known as Qeerroo)
• Tigray Region
  • Proposed state: Independent Republic of Tigray
  • Political party: Tigrayan People's Liberation Front

• Sidama Zone
  • Proposed state: Republic of Sidama
  • Political party: Sidama Liberation Front

France

• Réunion

Secessionist movements:

• Political party: Lorganizasion Popilèr po Libèr nout Péi (Lplp) – Popular Front for National Liberation: composed of Nasion Rénioné, Mar, Drapo rouz, Patriot rénioné and Mir.
• Political party: Marxist–Leninist Communist Organisation of Réunion

• Mayotte continues to have autonomist movements despite the island having voted to become France's 101st department in 2011.^[21]

Ivory Coast

• Northern Regions
  • Proposed state: Republic of Gimbabwe.
  • Pressure groups: Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire" (MPCI), Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West (MPIGO), Movement for Justice and Peace (MJP)^[22]

Kenya

• Mombasa
  • Proposed state: Mombasa Republic
  • Political party: Mombasa Republican Council^[23][24]

{Wajir Mandera Garissa} Former Northern Frontier District Western Republic of Somalia

Libya

Breakaway state:

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

• Religious group: Sunnis
  • De facto state:  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • Political organisations: Islamic State
  • Militant organization: Islamic State Mujahideen

Proposed states:

Cyrenaica

• Ethnic group: Libyan
  • Proposed autonomous area: Semi-autonomous "State of Cyrenaica"
  • Political Groups: Movement for Federal Libya, National Union Party, Cyrenaica Youth Movement
  • Senior Leaders: Dr. Abubakr Buera, Mr.Faraj Kezza, Dr.Azza Huwati, Ms.Najat Obedi, Mr. Mohamed Buisir, Mr. Ahmad Sannusi, Ms.Sarah Ali
  • Youth Leaders: Fathi Agori, Enas AlJazwi, Muheddine Mansuri, Osama Buera, Essa Arabi, Zeid Erragas, Mohamed Ali, Mustafa Orefy, Mabrooka Najm

Toubouland

• Ethnic group: Toubou
  • Proposed state: Toubouland
  • Militant organization: Toubou Front for the Salvation of Libya

Mali

Azawad

• Ethnic Groups: Tuareg, as well as Songhai, Fula^[25] and Arabs/Moors
  • Proposed state: Azawad
  • Political party: National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
  • Militant organisations: National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad

Mauritius

• Rodrigues Island^[26]

Malawi

• Ethnic area: Northern Region
  • Proposed state: Nyika Republic
  • Political group: Northern Region secessionists^[27]

Morocco

De facto states:

Western Sahara

• Ethnic group: Sahrawi
  • Proposed state: Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
  • De facto state: Free Zone
  • Government-in-exile: Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic based in refugee camps in Tindouf Province, Algeria
  • Political party: Polisario Front
  • Militant organisation: Sahrawi People's Liberation Army
  • Status: Western Sahara War

Proposed states:

Arrif

• Ethnic group: Riffian
  • Purposed state: Rif
  • Political party: RIM
  • Militant organisation(s) : RIM
• Rif Independence Movement – occurred in Morocco during the 1920s,^[28][29] and was revitalized in 2013.^[30] Rif Independence Movement is a charter member of the Organization of Emerging African States.^[30]

Namibia

Caprivi

• Ethnic Group: Lozi
  • Proposed state: Free State of Caprivi Strip/Itenge^[31]
  • Political party: Caprivi African National Union
  • Militant organization: Caprivi Liberation Army^[32]

Niger

Agadez

• Ethnic Group: Tuareg
  • Purposed state: Agadez
  • Militant organization: Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Sahara
  • Political parties: Taniminnak Tidot N Tenere, Tidot Union of Tenere
  • Proposed state: Akal N Tenere, Tenere Republic

Nigeria

Biafra

• Ethnic group: Igbo
  • Proposed state: Republic of Biafra (defunct)
  • National Liberation Movement: Bilie Human Rights Initiative
  • Political party: Biafran Congress Party .BCP., Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra,
  • Separatist movements: The Indigenous People of Biafra, Biafra Zionist Movement
  • Government in exile: Biafran Government in exile^[33]
  • Radio News Broadcast: www.radiobiafra.co, www.peopleofbiafra.org, www.biafragalaxy.com

Arewa

• Ethnic group: Hausa
  • Proposed state: Arewa Republic
  • Political parties: Arewa People's Congress, Boko Haram

Niger Delta

• Ethnic group Ijaw
  • Proposed state: Niger Delta Republic
  • Militant organization: Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

Ogoni

• Ethnic group: Ogoni
  • Political party: Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People

Oduduwa

• Ethnic group: Yoruba
  • Proposed state: Oduduwa Republic of the Yorubas
  • Political party: Oodua Peoples Congress

Islamic caliphate:

Boko Haram islamists

• • Proposed state: Islamic caliphate (already a province)
  • Terrorist group: Nigerian Mujahideen Boko Haram

Rwanda

• Batwa (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)
• Ethnic group: Twa
  • Proposed state: Batwaland
  • Political party: Association for the Promotion of Batwa

Senegal

Casamance

• Ethnic group: Diola
  • Proposed state: Casamance
  • Militant organization: Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance^[34]

Somalia

 Somaliland

• Ethnic group: Somali
  • De facto state:  Somaliland
  • Political organisations: Government of Somaliland
  • Militant organization: Somaliland Armed Forces

South Africa

Boer/Afrikaner homeland

• Ethnic group: Afrikaners
  • Proposed state: Volkstaat,^[35] Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natalia, Stellaland^[36] (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)
  • Political Party: Freedom Front Plus, Front Nasionaal
  • Pressure group: Orania Movement
  • Militant organization: Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, Boeremag

Cape Party

• • Proposed state: Cape Republic
  • Political Party: Cape Party

• Thembu people
  • Proposed state:Thembuland.^[37]

South Sudan

Nuerland

• Ethnic Group: Nuer
  • Militant organization: Nuer White Army, SPLA-Nasir (1991 - 1994)
  • Status: Ongoing insurgency

Sudan

Beja Nation

• Ethnic group: Beja
  • Militant organization: Beja Congress

Darfur

• Ethnic group: Fur, Zaghawe, Masalit
  • Purposed state: Darfur
  • Militant organization: Darfur Liberation Front
  • Status War in Darfur

Nubia

• Ethnic group: Nubian^[18][19]
  • Proposed state: Republic of Nubia

Tanzania

Zanzibar

• Ethnic group: Swahili
  • Proposed state:  Zanzibar
  • Political party: Civic United Front (member of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)

Uganda

Buganda

• Ethnic group: Ganda
  • Proposed state: Kingdom of Buganda
  • De facto autonomous area: Kingdom of Buganda
  • Youth movement: Buganda Youth Movement

Zambia

Barotse

• Ethnic Group: Lozi
  • Proposed state: Barotseland
  • Militant organization: Barotse Patriotic Front^[38]

Zimbabwe

Matabeleland

• Ethnic Group: Matabele
  • Proposed state: Matabeleland, Mthwakazi Free State
  • Militant organization: Mthwakazi Liberation Front (M.L.F.)^[39]
  • Political party: Matabeleland Freedom Party^[40]

See also

• List of active separatist movements
• List of historical separatist movements

References

Separatist movements per continent Current Africa North America South America Asia Europe Oceania Historical separatists movements