The book is a comparative study of the prominent quest for self-determination and secessionism cases in Africa. It further examines the theoretical, international law, and charters of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)/African Union (AU) stand on the issue of self-determination and secessionism. It explores whether self-determination and secessionism leads to peace, stability, development and democratisation in conflict-ridden societies. It extensively analyses factors such as geo-political, economic, security and ideological that determine the outcome of the quest for self-determination and secession.

Part 1: Conceptions, International law and Charters 1. Self-determination and Secession: African Challenges 2. Acquisition of Autonomy: The Right of Self-Determination in International Law 3. The OAU Doctrine on Colonial Boundaries and Conflicts of Separation in the Horn of Africa Part 2: Non-Colonial Creation Successful Secession Case: South Sudan 4. Political History of Southern Sudan before Independence of the Sudan 5. Sudan First Civil War for Self-determination 6. Second Civil War Creation of the United "New Sudan" Part 3: Colonial Creation Unsuccessful Cases of Self-Determination: Somaliland and Zanzibar 7. Guests in our Houses: Somaliland and British Colonialism 8. Less and more than the Sum of Its Parts: The Failed Merger of Somaliland and Somalia and the Tragic Quest for 'Greater Somalia' 9. Identifying Challenges against Winning an International Recognition and its Prospects: The Case of Somaliland 10. The Zanzibar Secessionist Sentiments: Can regional integration theory provide insights into the phenomenon? Part 4: Identity Groups Claiming Secession that Failed 11. Why Katanga's Quest for Self-determination and Secession Failed 12. Nigeria and the Biafran War of Secession 13. The Paradoxes of Secessionism among Tuarag in Northern Mali Part 5: Colonially Created, Annexed by Neighbouring Countries Cases 14. Namibia's Negotiation to Independence 15. Eritrea a Colonial Creation: A Case of Aborted Decolonisation 16. The Arduous Quest of the Saharawi People for Self-Determination: The Complexities of Unachieved Decolonization

Redie Bereketeab is Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala University, Sweden.