History of independence of all African countries

The history of the independence of all African countries : Most African countries fell victim to European colonialism in the period known as the “scramble for Africa” between 1880 and 1914.

At that time, Africa was divided between six European countries:

France
Britain
Belgium
Italia
Portugal
Spain

Until 1940, there were only three countries that gained their independence in Africa, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, which achieved this in 1922.

By 1977, Africa had transformed from the rule of six European countries to 51 independent sovereign states, including ten Arab states.

The independence of the countries of the continent was not pink in most cases, but came after wars and conflicts that claimed millions of lives.

A glimpse into the history of African independence

In 1910, South Africa became the first country in Africa to gain independence from Britain, and 12 years later, Egypt achieved the same.

In 1941, Ethiopia was established as a democratic republic shortly after Italian rule, and in 1951, Libya became the first country to gain independence on the continent after the end of World War II.

In 1960, 17 countries gained their independence from France, Britain and Belgium, including two Arab countries, Mauritania and Somalia.

Countries that became independent from other African countries

By 1980, all African countries had been freed from European rule, but three more countries would later declare their independence from countries within the continent.

The first of these countries was Namibia, which declared its independence from South Africa in 1990.

Eritrea followed suit in 1993 when it gained independence from Ethiopia, and in 2011, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan, the newest sovereign state on the continent and in the world.

In addition to these three countries, there are some regions in Africa that still claim independence from the mother country until now.

Some other territories are still under European occupation, including the island of Mayotte in the Comoros and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco.