Colonial Origins of Rebel Group Emergence in Africa

• In Event: Nationalism, Origin Myths, and Violence

Abstract

Why do some emerging rebel groups in Africa seek to capture the central government while others seek to secede from the state altogether? Scholars have highlighted the role that ethnicity, access to public goods, and rebel capacity play in determining rebel group objectives, but have paid less attention to the antecedent colonial experience that helped shape those factors. In this study, we argue that several critical factors associated with the colonial experience play an important role in shaping the goals of emerging rebel groups. We focus on colonial investment in state infrastructure, the process by which control was handed to African elites, levels of colonial violence, and the territorial construction of the state. Using a statistical analysis of 152 rebel groups in Africa, we find that these factors, which precede the formation of rebel groups, correlate strongly with whether rebel groups emerged seeking to capture the state or secede from it. We find that groups that emerge in countries with relatively strong colonial administrations are more likely to seek maximalist goals, while groups that emerge in countries with weak colonial administrations often seek self-determination. Concordant with recent research, we find that rebel groups that emerge in large countries with concentrated ethnic groups are more likely to seek self-determination than maximalist goals.

Authors

• Jacob S. Lewis, Washington State University

• Michael W Widmeier, Webster University