South Sudan and Secession in Africa

The Brenthurst Foundation in South Africa published a report in January 2012 titled The First Crack in Africa's Map? Secession and Self-Determination after South Sudan. The author, Terence McNamee, is the Deputy Director of the Brenthurst Foundation.

The discussion paper draws on extensive discussions between senior policy makers and academics at a high-level workshop convened by the Brenthurst Foundation in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in September 2011.

The paper concludes that while there is no evidence that South Sudan's secession has made independence more likely for other would-be states in Africa, such as Somaliland or Cabinda, the idea of self-determination is not on the wane in Africa. Nevertheless, the obstacles to independent statehood appear as formidable as ever.