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Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Kenya
A Social History of the Shifta Conflict, c. 1963-1968
Series: - African Social Studies Series, Volume: 34
Author:
In Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Kenya, Hannah Whittaker offers an in-depth analysis of the Somali secessionist war in northern Kenya, 1963-68. Combining archival and oral data, the work captures the complexity of the conflict, which combined a series of local, national and regional confrontations. The conflict was not, Whittaker argues, evidence of the potency of Somali nationalism, but rather an early expression of its failure. The book also deals with the Kenyan governmentâs response to the conflict as part of the entrenchment of African colonial boundaries at independence. Contrary to current narratives of an increasingly borderless world, Whittaker reminds us of the violence that is produced by state-led attempts to shore up contested borderlands. This work provides vital insights into the history behind the on-going troubled relationship between the Kenyan state and its Somali minority, and between Kenya and Somalia.
Hannah Whittaker, Ph.D. (2011), SOAS, University of London, is currently a Lecturer in History at Brunel University. Her research mainly focuses on borderlands and violence in North East Africa.
'The book does accomplish its goal of presenting a local view of the insurgency. It is therefore an important contribution to understand the genesis, unfolding and consequences of the Shifta secession movement in Kenya'.
Tabea Scharrer, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, Germany, in Islamic Africa 7 (2016), 121-123
Tabea Scharrer, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, Germany, in Islamic Africa 7 (2016), 121-123
Acknowledgements
List of Maps
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
The Northern Frontier District of Kenya: People, Place, and History
Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Borderland Kenya
Sources and Methodology
The Book
2. The Politics of NFD Secession, 1960-3
The Political Campaign for Secession
Moderates and Radicals
Dabasso Wabera and Hajj Galm Dida
Gaaf Chaama (the Time of Political Parties)
Conclusions
3. The Shifta
The Formation of the NFDLF
Becoming Shifta
Support and Opposition for Shifta
Conclusions
4. The Shifta Conflict, 1963-8
The NFD Liberation Campaign
âThese Feuds are Always Thereâ: the Socioeconomic Dynamics of a Rural Rebellion Conflict in Marsabit
Salfaa
Conclusions
5. Government Responses to Conflict (1): Counterinsurgency
The War against Shifta
The Militarization of Northern Kenya
âThey Even Called the Camels Shiftaâ
Conclusions
6. Government Responses to Conflict (2): Villagization
The Roots of Villagization
Implementing Villagization
The Villagization Experience
Conclusions
7. Aftermath
âWhat is the Purpose of Fighting for an Empty Land?â
âThere has Never Been Peaceâ: Continuity and Change in the Local Political Economy of Violence
âWe are Not People of Farmsâ
Conclusions
8. Conclusion
Sources and Bibliography
List of Maps
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
The Northern Frontier District of Kenya: People, Place, and History
Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Borderland Kenya
Sources and Methodology
The Book
2. The Politics of NFD Secession, 1960-3
The Political Campaign for Secession
Moderates and Radicals
Dabasso Wabera and Hajj Galm Dida
Gaaf Chaama (the Time of Political Parties)
Conclusions
3. The Shifta
The Formation of the NFDLF
Becoming Shifta
Support and Opposition for Shifta
Conclusions
4. The Shifta Conflict, 1963-8
The NFD Liberation Campaign
âThese Feuds are Always Thereâ: the Socioeconomic Dynamics of a Rural Rebellion Conflict in Marsabit
Salfaa
Conclusions
5. Government Responses to Conflict (1): Counterinsurgency
The War against Shifta
The Militarization of Northern Kenya
âThey Even Called the Camels Shiftaâ
Conclusions
6. Government Responses to Conflict (2): Villagization
The Roots of Villagization
Implementing Villagization
The Villagization Experience
Conclusions
7. Aftermath
âWhat is the Purpose of Fighting for an Empty Land?â
âThere has Never Been Peaceâ: Continuity and Change in the Local Political Economy of Violence
âWe are Not People of Farmsâ
Conclusions
8. Conclusion
Sources and Bibliography
All interested in the history of Kenya and/or Somalia, and anyone concerned with borderlands and violence in modern Africa.