Paper short abstract:

The paper is a comparative historical study of the State of Katanga and the Kingdom of Rwenzururu, two former de facto states in the African Great Lakes Region, and their role in the process of the socio-political change in, respectively, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

Paper long abstract:

According to Adrian Florea (2014) Africa has been the continent most prone to de facto separation, in his data set De Facto States in International Politics (1945-2011) draw our attention two de facto states in the African Great Lakes Region: Katanga (1960-1963) and the Kingdom of Rwenzururu (1963-1982) that disappeared in a completely different way (forceful reintegration vs. peaceful reintegration) and albeit both can be considered an emanation of the will for political change (popular or by power elite), the consequences of their political projects for today’s socio-political transformations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, are rather different. The mineral-rich Katanga is so far the only example of the international community efforts towards ending secession of an unrecognized state and trying to restore the state unity by military force. The unity, which is difficult to maintain for the Congolese state, over the years having experience different forms of decentralization. The Kingdom of Rwenzururu, in turn, in 1982 abandoned the goal of secession in exchange for autonomy and in 2008 official recognition by the Ugandan government as a subnational kingdom. Being an example of traditional authority, the Kingdom can act only as a cultural institution. However, 2016 Kasese clashes shed a different light on the future of the Kingdom and the real goals of the current Omusinga of Rwenzururu, Charles Mumbere.