Resource Dynamics, Secession, and State Fragmentation: The Cases of Congo and South Sudan

Despite the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and its successor, the African Union (AU), upholding the inviolability of colonial borders, South Sudan successfully seceded from Sudan in 2011. In contrast, Katanga’s earlier attempt to secede from Congo during the 1960s failed. Both cases highlight the complex relationship between secession attempts, the exploitation of natural resources, and the fragmentation of states. Using archival primary and secondary sources, this study unpacks the dynamics of secession with a focus on natural resources. The research question is, to what extent does the strategic management and contention over natural resources catalyze secessionist movements, leading to the phenomenon of state fragmentation? The key finding of the paper is that although the narratives of secessionist movements gravitate around historical grievances, economic exclusion, and identity, the presence of natural resources and the aspirations to control them are key driving factors to secession and subsequent state fragmentation.