Fight for Freedom

The world is witnessing a near-pervasive wave of secessionist movements. For different reasons, some sub-units in sovereign nations across the globe are struggling for self-determination. There is the Catalona independence movement in Spain. Also, think Scotland, Iraqi Kurdistan and Bougainville secession movements. In Africa, secession movements may not come as a sudden surprise. Scholars often link it to the little attention given to her ethnic, political and geographic realities before the demarcation in the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885. Prominent self-rule struggles include, the Ambazonian secession movement in Anglophone Southwest and Northwest Cameroon, the Biafran self-determination in Nigeria, calls for Oduduwa republic. The latest separatist unrest is the demand for secession of Western Togoland from Ghana. On Friday, 25th September 2020, armed groups blocked major entry points to Volta region of Ghana, took three policemen hostage and looted an armoury in the recent wave of their new secessionist struggle.

Self-determination often suffers stiff opposition from the home country. Before 2011 independence, South Sudan was engaged in a hard-fought battle with Sudan; it\’s home country. However, in 2006, Montenegro peacefully seceded from Serbia after a national referendum. The often hard stance of home countries against secession movements often leads to violence and prolonged conflict. In Nigeria, the secession movement in the 1960s led to a bloody civil war between Biafran and Nigerian forces. Again, new agitations for self-rule have also led to recent clashes and casualties on both sides of the struggle.

Poor handling of secession movements can lead to insecurity, political instability, and exacerbate other social issues. Home countries are often embroiled in a violent struggle to suppress self-rule agitation. The situation may, in turn, worsen push-factors of self-rule. Although without a uniform logic, secession is caused by nationalism, activation of ethnic minorities, according to Yevgeny Ryabinin in Journal of Geography, Politics and Society. Other catalysts of secession include faults in statehood creation, perceptions of systemic marginalisation, uneven power-sharing and value distribution.

Managing self-rule movements requires tact. Nations and the international community must seek ways to manage self-determination struggles in a manner that it does not lead to insecurity, social disorder and losses to lives and properties. According to Nextier SPD\’s article Between Communicative Engagement and Secession Movements, deployment of a conflict expert group will warrant interfacing with government and secessionist groups. This process will ensure that agitations and clashes between pro-secessionists and government forces are turned to productive activities that will be beneficial to all.

The use of force will suppress self-rule dream but will not end it. In short, in many cases, it may turn to a violent and an armed struggle. Governments may temporarily quash self-rule dreams, but such drastic actions do not prevent a resurgence – the Nigeria/Biafra civil war is a case in point. Alternatively, home countries of secessionist groups must be compromising enough to entertain secessionist conversions. Dialogues between parties will communicate concerns and agitations. Due processes will be poised to achieve peaceful solutions. The same secession dreams that took a referendum to reach in Montenegro killed thousands in Sudan and South Sudan. Scotland in the United Kingdom and Quebec in Canada have in occasions tried to gain independence and had such political determination voted down through a referendum by a majority of the citizens from the affected region.

The international community must put pressure on sovereign nations to seek non-violent ways of addressing secession struggles. Force should be the last resort after all forms of diplomacy have been exhausted. Also, suing for good governance, equitable value distribution, equal opportunities for all may likely address some catalysts of secession dreams.