Rhodesia Republic was an unrecognized State-The referendum in Sudan, which will lead to the secession of the south, is the first redrawing of an African colonial border by popular vote. The query lots of are asking is whether this will generate a precedent across the continent.
When African heads of state created the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, they committed themselves to fighting colonialism plus its legacy. Yet the one legacy they had no intention of ending was the borders of their own countries.
Since 1960 there's been more attempts to modify boundaries by secession than by amalgamation. After a 30-year war for independence (1962-92), Eritrea successfully seceded from Ethiopia. The conflict developed from civil war to a traditional war between separate sovereign states. Sadly the interstate war was better armed on both sides with tanks plus war planes, plus the casualties escalated.
Plus all this is apart from rivalry over petroleum resources. Debates about who benefits more have torn Nigeria asunder; Southern Sudan needs to be even more cautious.
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