The Problem of Separatism in Sub-Saharan Africa of the 1960's on the Example of Congo and Nigeria

The  article  deals  with  the  issue  of  separatism  in  the  sub-Saharan  world of Africa in the 1960's, on the example of two countries – the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more – Congo)  and  Nigeria.  Emphasis is  placed  on  the  emergence  of separatist movements that move into the format of quasi-state and the struggle of central governments for territorial unity.

In the framework of the proposed article, the research methodology is mainly based on the method of comparative analysis. Each of the two countries considered has its own specific features, and at the same time, it has been possible to distinguish common features because of which a general characterization of centrifugal trends in Sub-Saharan Africa over a given period can be drawn. In particular, this concerns the new independent states that appeared on the political map of the Afri can continent in the early 1960’s.

It was found that more often separatist movements arose in provinces that had strong economic potential and reserves of natural resources. This, in turn, provided for the possibility of separate existence for a long period, even in the face of armed confrontation with the central government. A key element was also the presence or absence of an external  factor, political and / or military, that directly determined events or had a decisive influence on them. This factor is especially characteristic  in  the  context  of  bipolar  confrontation  between  two  geopolitical centres, led by the US and the USSR, which sought to strengthen their influence at every single geographical point in the world. The emergence of each independent sub-Saharan  country,  each  new  manifestation  of separatism  and  military  conflict, not only had  an  internal dimension, but  also  concerned  a  more global  context  of confrontation in the Cold War.