Ethnic Conflict Information Centre    
 
   

Wars of secession

‘Secessionism’ is an ethnic group’s desire to form an independent (or at least autonomous) state of their own. Although not all secessionist claims turn violent, secessionism is a factor in the majority of ethnic conflicts and is often ruthlessly suppressed by governments. ‘Irredentism’ is a related form of dispute, in which a region seeks to break away and join a neighbouring state.

Secessionism at one level represents a rejection of what is seen by many as the distancing of decision making from local populations, the transfer of power to supranational bodies, and the threat to local identities posed by amorphous world tendencies such as ‘globalization’. Accordingly, secession is not confined to authoritarian regimes but is an active political force in many democracies. This map highlights those countries where secessionists are a significant political force. Many other countries have some regional or sub-national secessionist groups, however minor at present.

 

Separatist conflicts since 1990

Wars in which secessionism/regionalism (and/or irredentism) is a significant factor include:

Abkhazia
Aceh
Balochistan
Baltic states
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bougainville
Burma (Myanmar)
Cabinda
Casamance (Senegal)
Chechnya
Chiapas (Mexico)
China
Corsica
Crimea
Cyprus
Euzkadi (the Basque Country)
India
Indonesia
Ingushetia
Kashmir
Kosovo
Kurdistan
Macedonia
Malaysia
Mindanao (Philippines)
Moluccas (Maluku)
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nigeria
Northern Ireland
Ogaden
Pattini (Thailand)
Punjab
South Ossetia
South Sudan
Southern Cameroons
Sudan
Tamil Eelam (Sri Lanka)
Timor Leste (East Timor)
Transnistra
West Papua
Western Sahara
Xinjiang
Zanzibar

The text and maps on this page are adapted from Fields of Fire – An Atlas of Ethnic Conflict

 

 

     

Share |

© Site contents Stuart Notholt Communications Ltd, 2015. Not to be reproduced without permission. | Site design by Stuart Notholt Communications Ltd | The publishers take no responsibility for the availability or content of any external site linked to this page | Contact us