Warfare in Independent Africa

This book surveys the history of armed conflict in Africa in the period since decolonization and independence. The number of post-independence conflicts in Africa has been considerable, and this book introduces to readers a comprehensive analysis of their causes and character. Tracing the evolution of warfare from anti-colonial and anti-apartheid campaigns to complex conflicts in which factionalized armies, militias and rebel groups fight with each other and prey upon non-combatants, it allows the readers a new perspective to understand violence on the continent. The book is written to appeal not only to students of history and African politics, but also to experts in the policy community, the military and humanitarian agencies.

1. The evolution of warfare; 2. Anti-colonial rebels; 3. Majority rule rebels; 4. Reform rebels; 5. Warlord rebels; 6. Parochial rebels; Conclusion: the past and future of warfare in Africa.

This book surveys the history of armed conflict in Africa in the period since decolonization and independence. The number of post-independence conflicts in Africa has been considerable, and this book introduces to readers a comprehensive analysis of their causes and character.

William Reno is Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University. He is the author of Corruption and State Politics in Sierra Leone (Cambridge University Press, 1995) and Warlord Politics and African States (1998) and numerous other academic and policy publications about conflict in Africa. Professor Reno's research focuses on the politics of conflict in Africa.