Sub-Saharan equivalent of Ceuta/Melilla?

[Ditzy Vixen (RossN)]

Is there any chance of something like Ceuta or Melilla being left in Sub-Saharan Africa after decolonisation?

By that I mean an exclave where the local majority favours connection with the former colonising power, enough to keep up the connection after the surrounding territory has become independent.

(Note I do not require the European country to be Spain - the two cities are just used as examples of the type.)

 

[LSCatilina]

This is, Ceuta and Melilla are spanish since a long time, more than parts of Andalucia. It would require either a multi-secular european hold or at least a long history of direct european control, both meaning pre-1900 change of status.

 

[Derek Pullem]

Walvis Bay

It was an enclave for 20 years after South Africa had been forced to give up claims on South West Africa

 

[pompejus]

Would islands count? As I think Cape Verdi or Sao Tome and Principe could have stayed Portuguese.

 

[Marius]

Walvis Bay

It was an enclave for 20 years after South Africa had been forced to give up claims on South West Africa

Five years. Namibia became independent in 1989, and South Africa returned sovereignty to Namibia in 1994.

 

[kung Zog]

After 1900 it is hard. The only one I can think of as really possible without a too drastic POD is Guinea-Bissau. Maybe keeping Portugal a dictatorship longer forcing Guinea-Bissau to remain within Portugal. More migration to the colony would also delay the independence war. However it wouldn't be an equivalent of Ceuta as the population would most likely be more estranged from the "mother country" than in the Spanish African coastal cities...

Against this proposition is the fact the independence war in Guinea-Bissau was one of the more successful independence war with economic and military support trickling into the area at a quite fascinating speed.

 

[Derek Pullem]

Five years. Namibia became independent in 1989, and South Africa returned sovereignty to Namibia in 1994.

Which kind of ignores Namibian war of independence and the UN resolutions which were the purpose of South Africa unilaterally annexing Walvis Bay in the first place.

 

[Marius]

Which kind of ignores Namibian war of independence and the UN resolutions which were the purpose of South Africa unilaterally annexing Walvis Bay in the first place.

But the Namibian colonisation situation is hardly the same as what the OP was describing.

Namibia was still administered by South Africa, despite UN resolutions and so on in the 1970s.

 

[Simreeve]

Given enough 'popular' & armed support for its Sultan, possibly Zanzibar... although that would haver been with Oman rather than a European nation as the "former colonial power" concerned.

 

[Expat]

Maybe a different end to WWI leaves Germany with just Walvis Bay (or Swakopmund, or Luderitz.) The town is thoroughly German, or at least has a thoroughly separate identity to the surrounding country, within a couple generations. In TTL's alt-decolonization, it opts to remain a German Crown Colony equivalent.

 

[satilisu]

What about Cape Town? If it develops an identity as a British (or maybe just Not Boer) rather than a South African city it could turn into another Gibraltar or something of the sort.

 

[Falecius]

I believe that the best bet may be the French Quatre Ports in Senegal, but it kind of requires that they retain a separate administration from pre-1900 (they used to be an integral part of France).

 

[kung Zog]

Guinea-Bissau was a huge net drain on Portugal. In 1974, there were many within the dictatorship who wanted to abandon the place. Américo Tomás planned to retire on his 80th birthday (September 14, 1974). Once he leaves office, there is a high chance his successor (probably someone more reform-minded) will enter into negotiations with the PAIGC rather quickly.

I see, thanks for the information.

 

[Hominid]

Would islands count? As I think Cape Verdi or Sao Tome and Principe could have stayed Portuguese.

If islands count, then there are plenty of OTL examples: the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, Reunion, and Mayotte.

 

[b0ned0me]

Would islands count? As I think Cape Verdi or Sao Tome and Principe could have stayed Portuguese.

Another possibility might be Bioko/Fernando Pó - teams of specially bred alt-hist butterflies might either make it legally an integral part of Spain, or more likely just have it be separate from Rio Muni and somehow end up with a majority Spanish/mixed population who are skeptical about participation in mainland affairs.
Unfortunately the most likely way for that to happen is some ethnic cleansing and/or the diehard element from the rest of the Spanish colonies ending up there.

If the island wished to remain Spanish it has enough separation from the continent to make guerilla infiltration very hard, but is close enough to participate economically if it wished. It also gets a nice little EEZ (even more so if Annobón comes along) and might just struggle along economically until the petro-boom arrives.

 

[Simreeve]

Another possibility might be Bioko/Fernando Pó - teams of specially bred alt-hist butterflies might either make it legally an integral part of Spain, or more likely just have it be separate from Rio Muni and somehow end up with a majority Spanish/mixed population who are skeptical about participation in mainland affairs.

Either that or have the historical British lease of the island from Spain (as a base for anti-slavery patrols during the early 19th century) turned into a purchase, more settlement of freed slaves there, and subsequent development of the colony as one more similar in some ways (such as anglicisation of the population's detribalised Africa-derived element) to those in the West Indies than to those in mainland Africa?

 

[miguelrj]

This is, Ceuta and Melilla are spanish since a long time, more than parts of Andalucia.

Almost as much for Melilla but not more. Ceuta came later...

 

[pa_dutch]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Cabinda. All you really need to do with this is let the Portuguese dictatorship last longer and democratize, or have the MFA not be so committed to decolonization (in which case Cabinda, along with Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe would probably end up being autonomous areas like OTL Azores and Madeira). While the residents of Cabinda ideally would have wanted Independence (which would have been nearly impossible to maintain long-term on their own), I think they would have settled for autonomy within Portugal (probably the best deal for them). It is also worth mentioning that Cabinda had a European population of about 17% and a mixed-race population of about 3% on the eve of Independence (this could probably get much higher if the Portuguese government decided to put more effort into "integrating" Cabinda).

Yes, Cabinda would have been my suggestion, too.