The yearning for relief : a history of the Sawaba movement in Niger / / by Klaas van Walraven.

• Author: Walraven, Klaas van, 1958-
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Series: Afrika-Studiecentrum series ; v. 25; Afrika-Studiecentrum Series 25.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (996 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The Sawaba movement and its rebellion in Niger are a totally neglected subject. Klaas van Walraven traces this story from a social history perspective, placing an entire generation of activists, removed from the official record, back into mainstream Nigérien history. Representing a genuine social movement, Sawaba formed Niger’s first autonomous government under French suzerainty. Overthrown by the Gaullists and persecuted, it attempted a comeback with a guerrilla campaign (1960-1966), which ended in failure and led to the movement’s destruction. The Yearning for Relief – based on numerous interviews with survivors and a vast range of archival sources, including France’s secret service – is essential reading for the reappraisal of Niger’s history and the role of militant nationalist movements in the decolonisation of French West Africa.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Historicising Sawaba -- Part I. Deliverance, conquered and lost -- The rise of the UDN, 1946-1957 -- To revolutionary supremacy, March 1957-May 1958 -- The challenge of the Fifth Republic -- A referendum -- Declining fortunes -- Part II. Preparing for relief -- Going underground, 1958-1961 -- Building to undermine, 1959-1962 -- Repression, dissension, and the road to arms -- Training cadres and commandos, 1958-1969 -- Part III. Fighting for deliverance -- Infiltrations, 1960-1964 -- Regime responses, 1962-1964 -- Guerrilla war, July-December 1964 -- Guerrilla war, 1965-1966 -- The road of honour: the destruction of a social movement, 1965-1974 -- Epilogue: Aftermath and memory.