African guerrillas

Insurgencies or guerrilla movements have come to occupy a prominent place in the politics of modern Africa.

At one time they could be regarded as the means by which Africans fought for independence against colonial or white minority regimes which refused to concede it peacefully, but in the late-20th century they have become an important source of organized opposition to incumbent African governments.

In some cases they have ousted those governments and established new regimes in their place; in other cases they have prompted state collapse.

This collection of articles and case studies is written by contributors with a long-term direct contact with the insurgencies they describe.

They analyze the relationship between insurgencies and the local societies in which they are set, the organizational principles upon which the insurgencies are based, and the relationship between the insurgencies and the wider world.