Editing Secession (section)

==Secession movements==
{{Main|Lists of active separatist movements|List of historical separatist movements}}
{{Category see also|Separatism by country|Secessionist organizations}}

National secessionist movements advocate for the claim that a population within a state is a nation that has the right to form its own nation-state.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roeder|first=Philip G.|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt21h4x5m|title=National Secession: Persuasion and Violence in Independence Campaigns|date=2018|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-1-5017-2598-2|pages=23–25|jstor=10.7591/j.ctt21h4x5m}}</ref> Movements that work towards political secession may describe themselves as being [[Autonomous entity|autonomy]], [[separatist]], [[independence]], [[self-determination]], [[Partition (politics)|partition]], [[devolution]], [[decentralization]], [[sovereignty]], [[self-governance]] or [[decolonization]] movements instead of, or in addition to, being secession movements.

===Australia===
{{Main|Proposals for new Australian States}}

During the 19th century, the single [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] [[colony]] in eastern mainland Australia, [[Colony of New South Wales|New South Wales]] (NSW) was progressively divided up by the British government as new settlements were formed and spread. [[Colony of Victoria|Victoria]] (Vic) was formed in 1851 and [[Colony of Queensland|Queensland]] (Qld) in 1859.

However, settlers agitated to divide the colonies throughout the later part of the century; particularly in [[central Queensland]] (centered in [[Rockhampton]]) in the 1860s and 1890s, and in [[North Queensland]] (with [[Bowen, Queensland|Bowen]] as a potential colonial capital) in the 1870s. Other secession (or territorial separation) movements arose and these advocated the secession of [[New England (New South Wales)|New England]] in northern central [[Colony of New South Wales|New South Wales]], [[Deniliquin]] in the [[Riverina]] district also in NSW, and [[Mount Gambier]] in the eastern part of [[South Australia]].

;Western Australia
{{Main|Secessionism in Western Australia}}

Secession movements have surfaced several times in Western Australia (WA), where a [[1933 Western Australian secession referendum|1933 referendum]] for secession from the [[Federation of Australia]] passed with a two-thirds majority. The referendum had to be ratified by the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]], which declined to act, on the grounds that it would contravene the [[Australian Constitution]].

The [[Principality of Hutt River]] claimed to have seceded from Australia in 1970, although its status was not recognised by Australia or any other country.

===Austria===
After being liberated by the [[Red Army]] and the [[U.S. Army]], [[Austria]] seceded from [[Nazi Germany]] on April 27, 1945. This took place after seven years [[Austria under National Socialism|under Nazi rule]], which began with the [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany]] in March 1938. The secession only took place once Nazi Germany had been defeated by the Allies.

===Bangladesh===
{{Main|United People's Democratic Front}}

The Banga Sena ([[Bangabhumi]]) is a separatist<ref name=TELEGRAPH>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040107/asp/nation/story_2760337.asp|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203195122/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040107/asp/nation/story_2760337.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 3, 2013|title=Dhaka seeks proof, Delhi readies maps|author=Seema Guha|date=2004-01-07|access-date=2008-06-30|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> [[Hinduism|Hindu]] organisation, which supports the making of a [[Bangabhumi]]/separate homeland for [[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Bengali Hindus]] in the [[People's Republic of Bangladesh]].<ref name=INDIAINFO>{{cite web|url=http://news.indiainfo.com/2003/02/18/18held.html|title=400 Banga Sena activists held at Bangla border|date=2003-02-18|access-date=2008-06-30|publisher=Indiainfo.com|archive-date=2008-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904233910/http://news.indiainfo.com/2003/02/18/18held.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The group is led by Kalidas Baidya.<ref name=TELEGRAPH/>

The Shanti Bahini ({{langx|bn|শান্তি বাহিনী}}, "Peace Force") is the name of the military wing of the [[Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti]] - the United People's Party of the [[Chittagong Hill Tracts]] aims are to create an indigenous [[Buddhism in Bangladesh|Buddhist]] orientated [[Chacomas state]] within SE [[Bangladesh]].

===Belgium and the Netherlands===
{{Main|Belgian Revolution}}

On August 25, 1830, during the reign of [[William I of the Netherlands|William I]], the nationalistic opera ''[[La muette de Portici]]'' was performed in [[Brussels]]. Soon after, the [[Belgian Revolution|Belgian Revolt]] occurred, which resulted in the Belgian secession from the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]].

{{further|Partition of Belgium}}

===Brazil===
In 1825, soon after the [[Empire of Brazil]] managed to defeat the [[Portuguese Cortes|Cortes-Gerais]] and the [[Portuguese Empire]] in an [[Brazilian War of Independence|Independence War]], the Platinean nationalists in [[Cisplatina]] declared independence and joined the [[United Provinces of the Río de la Plata|United Provinces]], which led to a [[Cisplatine War|stagnated war]] between both, as they were both weakened, lacking manpower and politically fragile. The peace treaty accepted [[Uruguay]]'s independence, reasserted the rule of both nations over their land and some important points like free navigation in the Silver River.

Three rather disorganized secessionist rebellions happened in [[Grão-Pará Province|Grão-Pará]], Bahia, and Maranhão, where the people were unhappy with the Empire (these provinces were Portuguese bastions in the Independence War). The [[Malê Revolt]], in Bahia, was an Islamic slave revolt. These three rebellions were bloodily crushed by the Empire of Brazil.

The [[History of Pernambuco|Pernambuco]] was one of the most [[Nativism (politics)|nativist]] of all Brazilian regions. Over a series of five revolts (1645–1654, 1710, 1817, 1824, 1848), the province [[Pernambucan Revolt|ousted the Dutch West India Company]] and tried to secede from the Portuguese and Brazilian Empires. In each attempt, the rebels were crushed, the leaders shot and their territory divided. Nevertheless, they kept revolting until Pernambuco's territory was a little fraction of what it was before.

In the [[Ragamuffin War]], the [[Rio Grande do Sul#History|Province of Rio Grande do Sul]] was undergoing a (at that time common) [[Liberalism in Brazil|liberal]] vs [[Conservatism in Brazil|conservative]] "cold" war. After Emperor [[Pedro II of Brazil]] favoured the conservatives, the liberals took the Capital and declared an [[Riograndense Republic|independent Republic]], fighting their way to the [[Santa Catarina (state)#History|Province of Santa Catarina]] and declaring the [[Juliana Republic]]. Eventually they were slowly forced back, and made a reunification peace with the Empire. This was not considered a secessionist war, even if it could have resulted in an independent republic if the Empire had been defeated. After the Empire agreed to aid Santa Catarina's economy by taxing [[Argentina]]'s products (like dry meat), the rebels reunited with the Empire and joined its military ranks.

In modern times, the [[South Region, Brazil|South Region of Brazil]] has been the centre of a secessionist movement led by an organization called [[The South is My Country]] since the 1990s. Reasons cited for Southern Brazil's secession movement are taxation, due to it being one of the wealthiest regions in the country; political disputes with the northernmost states of Brazil; [[2015–16 protests in Brazil|2016 scandal]] revolving around the [[Workers Party (Brazil)|Workers' Party]]'s involvement in a [[Kickback (bribery)|kickback scheme]] with state-owned oil company [[Petrobras]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spagnuolo |first=Sergio |date=September 15, 2016 |title=Brazil's Lula charged as 'top boss' of Petrobras graft scheme |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN11K2FJ/ |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=Reuters}}</ref> and the impeachment of then-[[President of Brazil|President]] [[Dilma Rousseff]]. Additionally, there is an ethnic divide as the South Region is predominately [[White Brazilian|European]], populated primarily by [[German Brazilians|Germans]], [[Italian Brazilians|Italians]], [[Portuguese Brazilians|Portuguese]] and other European groups. In contrast, the rest of Brazil is a [[Racial democracy|multicultural]] [[melting pot]]. The South Region in 2016 voted in an unofficial referendum called "Plebisul" in which 95% of voters supported secession and the creation of an independent South Region.

There is also a push for secession movement in the state of [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]], which seeks to become a country independent from the rest of Brazil.

===Cameroon===
{{Main|Anglophone Crisis}}

In October 2017, [[Ambazonia]] declared its independence from [[Cameroon]]. Less than a month beforehand, tensions had escalated into [[Anglophone Crisis|open warfare]] between separatists and the [[Cameroon Armed Forces]].
The conflict, known as the "Anglophone Crisis", is deeply rooted in the October 1, 1961 incomplete decolonization of the former [[Southern Cameroons|British Southern Cameroons]] (UNGA Resolution 1608). On January 1, 1960, [[French Cameroon]] was granted independence from France as the Republic of Cameroon and was admitted into the United Nations. The more advanced democratic and self-ruling people of [[British Cameroon]] were instead limited to two choices. Through a UN [[Referendum|plebiscite]], they were directed to either join the federation of [[Nigeria]] or the independent Republic of Cameroon as a federation of two equal states. While the Northern Cameroons voted to join Nigeria, the Southern Cameroons voted to integrate into the Republic of Cameroon, but they did so without a formal Treaty of Union on record at the UN. In 1972, Cameroon used its majority population to abolish the federation and implement a system which resulted in the occupation of the former South Cameroons territory by French-speaking Cameroon administrators. In 1984, Cameroon heightened tensions by returning to its name at independence, "Republic of Cameroun", which did not include the territory of the former British Southern Cameroons or Ambazonia. 
For more than fifty years the English-speaking people of the Former British Southern Cameroons made multiple attempts both nationally and internationally to get the Cameroon government to address these issues and possibly return to the previously agreed federation at independence. In 2016, after all these attempts failed, Cameroon engaged in a military crackdown, including cutting the internet in the English-speaking regions. In response, the people of Southern Cameroon declared on October 1, 2017, the restoration of their UN state of Southern Cameroons, which they called the "[[Federal Republic of Ambazonia]]".

===Canada===
{{Main|Secessionist movements of Canada}}

Throughout Canada's history, there has been tension between [[English Canada|English-speaking]] and [[Francophone Canadians|French-speaking Canadians]]. Under the [[Constitutional Act of 1791]], the [[Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Province of Quebec]] (including parts of what are today [[Quebec]], [[Ontario]] and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) was divided in two: [[Lower Canada]] (which retained [[Law of France|French law]] and institutions and is now part of the provinces of Quebec and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) and [[Upper Canada]] (a new colony intended to accommodate the many new English-speaking settlers, including the [[United Empire Loyalists]], and now part of [[Ontario]]). The intent was to provide each group with its own colony. In 1841, the two Canadas were merged into the [[Province of Canada]]. The union proved contentious, however, resulting in a legislative deadlock between English and French legislators. The difficulties of the union, among other factors, led in 1867 to the formation of the  [[Canadian Confederation]], a [[Canadian federalism|federal system]] that united the [[Province of Canada]], [[Nova Scotia]] and [[New Brunswick]] (later joined by other [[British North America|British colonies in North America]]). The federal framework did not eliminate all tensions, however, leading to the [[Quebec sovereignty movement]] in the latter half of the 20th century.

Other occasional secessionist movements have included anti-Confederation movements in the 19th century [[Atlantic Canada]] (see [[Anti-Confederation Party]]), the [[North-West Rebellion]] of 1885, and various small separatist movements in Alberta particularly (see [[Alberta separatism]]) and [[Western Canada]] generally (see, for example, [[Western Canada Concept]]).

===Central America===
After the 1823 collapse of the [[First Mexican Empire]], the former [[Captaincy General of Guatemala|Captaincy-General of Guatemala]] was organized into a new [[Federal Republic of Central America]]. In 1838, [[Nicaragua]] seceded. The Federal Republic was formally dissolved in 1840, all but one of the states having seceded amidst general disorder.

===China===
The [[People's Republic of China]] government claims control over [[Taiwan]] and describes the [[political status of Taiwan]] as an issue of secession, despite having never governed the territory. The [[Republic of China]] (Taiwan) government administers control over Taiwan and outlying islands but lacks widespread official international recognition. The ''[[Anti-Secession Law]],'' passed in 2005, formalized the long-standing policy of the People's Republic of China to use military means against [[Taiwan independence movement|Taiwan independence]] in the event peaceful means become otherwise impossible.

Western regions of [[Xinjiang]] ([[East Turkistan]]) and [[Tibet]] are the focus of secessionist calls by the [[Tibetan independence movement]] and [[East Turkestan Independence Movement]]. The [[East Turkistan Government in Exile]] does not view East Turkistan as a part of China but rather an occupied country, so it does not view independence from China as "secession" but rather "decolonization".

The [[Hong Kong|Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong]] has a secessionist movement in the city that the [[Chinese Communist Party]] has placed on the national security agenda in 2017 which is called the [[Hong Kong independence movement]].

===Congo===
In 1960, the [[State of Katanga]] declared independence from the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. [[United Nations]] troops crushed it in [[Congo Crisis#UN Operation Grand Slam ends Katanga secession|Operation Grand Slam]].

===Cyprus===
[[File:Grenspost.jpg|thumb|Northern Cyprus]]

In 1974, Greek [[Irredentism|irredentists]] [[1974 Cypriot coup d'état|launched a ''coup d'état'']] in [[Cyprus]], in an attempt to annex the island with [[Greece]]. Almost immediately, the [[Turkish Armed Forces|Turkish Army]] [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|invaded northern Cyprus]] to protect the interests of the [[Turkish Cypriots|ethnic Turkish minority]], who in the following year formed the ''Turkish Federated State of Cyprus'' and in 1983 declared independence as the [[Northern Cyprus|Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]], recognized only by [[Turkey]].

===East Timor===
[[File:East Timor Demo.jpg|thumb|September 1999 demonstration for [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor|independence from Indonesia]]]]

The [[East Timor|Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste]] (also known as East Timor) has been described as having "seceded" from [[Indonesia]].<ref>Santosh C. Saha, ''Perspectives on contemporary ethnic conflict'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=uqYDX_4XQscC&dq=East+Timor+seceded&pg=PA63 p. 63],
Lexington Books, 2006 {{ISBN|0-7391-1085-3}}.</ref><ref>Paul D. Elliot, The East Timor Dispute, The International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Vol. 27, No.{{spaces}}1 (Jan., 1978).</ref><ref>[[James J. Fox]], [[Dionísio Babo Soares]], ''Out of the ashes: destruction and reconstruction of East Timor'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=J7WljGNkcrkC&dq=East+Timor+seceded&pg=PA175 p. 175], ANU E Press, 2003, {{ISBN|0-9751229-1-6}}</ref> After [[Portuguese Timor|Portuguese sovereignty]] was terminated in 1975, [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor|East Timor was occupied by Indonesia]]. However, the [[United Nations]] and the [[International Court of Justice]] refused to recognize this incorporation. Therefore, the resulting civil war and eventual 1999 East Timorese vote for complete separation are better described as an independence movement.<ref>Thomas D. Musgrave, ''Self-determination and national minorities'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=BJg6T7SqJ1gC&dq=East+Timor+seceded&pg=PR13 p. xiii], Oxford University Press, 2000 {{ISBN|0-19-829898-6}}</ref>

===Ethiopia===
Following the May 1991 victory of [[Eritrean People's Liberation Front]] forces against the communist [[Derg]] regime during the [[Eritrean War of Independence]], [[Eritrea]] (formerly known as "[[Medri Bahri]]") gained [[de facto]] independence from Ethiopia. Following the United Nations observation [[1993 Eritrean independence referendum]], Eritrea gained [[de jure]] independence.

===European Union===
{{Main|Withdrawal from the European Union}}
{{See also|2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum}}

Before the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] entered into force on 1{{spaces}}December 2009, no provision in the [[Treaties of the European Union|treaties]] or [[European Union law|law of the European Union]] outlined the ability of a state to voluntarily withdraw from the EU. The European Constitution did propose such a provision and, after the failure to ratify the [[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe]], that provision was then included in the Lisbon Treaty.

The treaty introduced an exit clause for members who wish to withdraw from the Union. This formalised the procedure by stating that a member state may notify the [[European Council]] that it wishes to withdraw, upon which withdrawal negotiations begin; if no other agreement is reached, the treaty ceases to apply to the withdrawing state two years after such notification.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2016/577971/EPRS_BRI(2016)577971_EN.pdf |title=Article 50 TEU: Withdrawal of a Member State from the EU|last=Poptcheva|first=Eva-Maria|date=February 2016 |website=europa.eu}}</ref>

On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the [[European Union]] in a binding referendum voted for by parliament, and finally left the European Union on January 31, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Payne |first1=Adam |title=Business Insider |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/britains-new-parliament-votes-for-boris-johnsons-brexit-bill-2019-12 |website=businessinsider.com |publisher=Business Insider |access-date=December 20, 2019}}</ref> This is informally known as [[Brexit]].

===Finland===
Finland successfully and peacefully seceded from the newly-formed and unstable [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]] in 1917. The latter was led by [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]], who had sought refuge in Finland during the [[Russian Revolution of 1905|Russian Revolution]]. Unsuccessful attempts at greater autonomy or peaceful secession had already been made during the preceding [[Russian Empire]] but had been denied by the Russian emperor. However, with the country still at war and under great pressure, Lenin allowed Finland to secede. Its peripheral location made it difficult to defend and less strategically important than Russia's other territories, so he conceded sovereignty to the Finns rather than try to defend it.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Douds |first=Lara |date=2017-01-13 |title='The dictatorship of the democracy'? The Council of People's Commissars as Bolshevik-Left Socialist Revolutionary coalition government, December 1917-March 1918 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-2281.12170 |journal=Historical Research |volume=90 |issue=247 |pages=32–56 |doi=10.1111/1468-2281.12170 |issn=0950-3471|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===France===
France was one of the [[European Great Powers]] with populous foreign empires. Like the others{{snd}}the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and formerly Germany and the Ottoman Empire{{snd}}its populous states abroad have all seceded, in most cases been granted independence. These secessionist movements generally took place at similar stages by continent. See [[decolonization of the Ottoman Empire]], [[Decolonization of the Americas|Americas]], [[Decolonization of Asia|Asia]] and [[Decolonization of Africa|Africa]].
As to France's contiguous state, these have few present representatives at the national level, see:

* [[Alsace independence movement]]
* [[Breton independence]]
* [[Corsican nationalism]]
* [[Occitan nationalism]]

===Gran Colombia===
[[File:AGHRC (1890) - Carta XI - División política de Colombia, 1824.jpg|thumb|Map showing the shrinking territory of [[Gran Colombia]] from 1824 to 1890 (red line). [[Separation of Panama from Colombia|Panama separated from Colombia]] in 1903.]]

After a decade of tumultuous federalism, [[Ecuador]] and [[Venezuela]] seceded from [[Gran Colombia]] in 1830, leaving the similarly tumultuous [[United States of Colombia]] (now the [[Republic of Colombia]]), which also lost [[Panama]] in 1903.

===India===
{{Main|Separatist movements of India}}

Pakistan seceded from the [[British-Indian Empire]] in what is known as [[Partition of India|the Partition]].
Today, the [[Constitution of India]] does not allow [[States and union territories of India|Indian states]] to secede from the Union.

The [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir]] hosts some [[Kashmiri nationalism|paramilitary nationalists]] who advocate for a Muslim state, in opposition to the Indian establishment. They are mostly in the [[Kashmir Valley|Valley of Kashmir]] since 1989, where the [[Indian Army]] sometimes patrols, having bases along the [[Line of Control|nearby international border]]. They are supported by Pakistan, which has allegedly funded many terrorist, separatist outfits with the goal of destabilizing India, according to the [[Research and Analysis Wing|Indian Research and Analysis Wing]], though the country denies any direct involvement. The [[Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir|Kashmir insurgency]] reached at its peak influence in the 1990s.

Other secessionist movements in [[Nagaland]], [[Assam]], [[Manipur]], [[Indian Punjab|Punjab]] (known as the [[Khalistan movement]]), [[Mizoram]] and [[Tripura]], [[Tamil Nadu]] . The violent [[Naxalite–Maoist insurgency]] operates in [[East India|eastern rural India]] is rarely considered secessionist as its goal is to overthrow the [[government of India]]. The [[Communist Party of India (Maoist)]]'s commanders idealise a [[Communist state|Communist republic]] to be made up swathes of India.

===Iran===
Active secession movements include: [[Iranian Azeri]], [[Assyrian independence movement]], Bakhtiary [[lurs]] movement in 1876, [[Iranian Kurdistan]]; [[Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran|Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI)]], [[Khūzestān Province]] [[Balochistan]] and independence movement for free separated Balochistan, (''[[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]]''); Al-Ahwaz Arab People's Democratic Popular Front, Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz (See [[Politics of Khūzestān Province#Arab politics and separatism|Politics of Khūzestān Province: Arab politics and separatism]]), and Balochistan People's Party (BPP) supporting [[Baloch people|Baloch]] [[Baloch nationalism|Separatism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unpo.org/content/view/7922/153/|title=UNPO: West Balochistan|work=unpo.org|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref>

===Italy===
The [[Movement for the Independence of Sicily]] (Movimento Indipendentista Siciliano, MIS) has its roots in the [[Sicilian Independence Movement]] of the late 1940s; it was active for around 60 years. Today, the MIS no longer exists, though many other parties have emerged. One is [[Nation Sicily]] (Sicilia Nazione), which still believes in the idea that Sicily, due to its deeply personal and ancient history, should be a sovereign country. Moreover, a common ideology shared by all the [[Sicilian Independentist Movement|Sicilian independentist movements]] is to fight against [[Cosa Nostra]] and all the other [[Sicilian Mafia|Mafia]] organizations, which have a very deep influence over Sicily's public and private institutions. The Sicilian branch of the [[Five Star Movement]], which polls show is Sicily's most popular party, has also publicly expressed the intention to start working for a possible secession from Italy if the [[Government of Italy|central government]] would not collaborate in shifting the nation's administrative organization from a unitary country to a [[federal state]].

In Southern Italy, several movements have expressed a will to secede from Italy. This newborn ideology is called [[neo-Bourbonism]], because the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]] was under the control of the House of Bourbon. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was created in 1816 after the [[Congress of Vienna]], and it comprised both Sicily and continental Southern Italy. The Kingdom came to an end in 1861, being annexed to the newborn Kingdom of Italy. However, the patriotic feelings shared among the southern Italian population is more ancient, starting in 1130 with the Kingdom of Sicily, which was composed by both the island and south Italy. According to the neo-Bourbonic movements the Italian regions which should secede are [[Sicily]], [[Calabria]], [[Basilicata]], [[Apulia]], [[Molise]], [[Campania]], [[Abruzzo]], and [[Latio]]'s provinces of [[Province of Rieti|Rieti]], [[Province of Latina|Latina]] and [[Province of Frosinone|Frosinone]]. The major movements and parties which believe in this ideology are [[Unione Mediterranea]], [[Mo!]] and [[Brigandage in Southern Italy after 1861|Briganti]].

[[Lega Nord]] has been seeking the independence of the region known to separatists as [[Padania]], which includes lands along the [[Po Valley]] in [[northern Italy]]. Some organizations separately work for the [[Venetian nationalism|independence of Venetia]] or Veneto and the [[South Tyrolean secessionist movement|secession or reunification]] of [[South Tyrol]] with Austria. Lega Nord governing [[Lombardy]] has expressed a will to turn the region into a sovereign country. Also, the island of [[Sardinia]] is home to a notable [[Sardinian nationalism|nationalist movement]].

===Japan===
{{Main|Ryukyu independence movement}}

The ethnic [[Ryukyuan people|Ryukyuan]] (a branch of modern Okinawan) people had their own state historically ([[Ryukyu Kingdom]]). Although some Okinawan people have sought independence from Japan since they were annexed by Japan in 1879, and especially after 1972 when the islands were transferred from U.S. rule to Japan, their activism and movement have been consistently supported by single digit<ref>{{cite news |title=Opinion Polls among Residents of the Okinawa Prefecture (Japanese) |url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASK4S45G6K4SUZPS003.html |access-date=22 January 2021 |agency=Asahi Shinbun |publisher=Asahi Shinbun Digital |date=12 May 2017}}</ref> of Okinawan people.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Molasky|first=Michael S.|title=The American Occupation of Japan and Okinawa: Literature and Memory|date=8 March 2001|publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-98168-9|oclc=1048580450}}</ref>

===Malaysia===
When racial and [[PAP-UMNO relations|partisan strife]] erupted, [[Singapore]] [[Singapore in Malaysia#Expulsion|was expelled from the Malaysian federation]] in 1965.

===Mexico===
[[File:Mexico's Territorial Evolution.png|thumb|The [[Territorial evolution of Mexico]] after independence, noting losses to the US (red, white and orange) and the secession of [[Federal Republic of Central America|Central America]] (purple)]]

* [[Republic of Texas|Texas]] seceded from Mexico in 1836 (see [[Texas Revolution]]), after animosity between the Mexican government and the American settlers of the [[Coahuila y Tejas|Coahuila y Tejas State]]. It was later annexed by the United States in 1845.
* The [[Republic of the Rio Grande]] seceded from Mexico on January 17, 1840. It rejoined Mexico on November{{spaces}}6 of the same year.
* After the [[Federal government|federal system]] was abandoned by [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Antonio López de Santa Anna|Santa Anna]], the [[Congress of Yucatán]] approved in 1840 a declaration of independence, establishing the [[Republic of Yucatán]]. The Republic rejoined Mexico in 1843.

===Netherlands===
The [[United Provinces of the Netherlands]], commonly referred to historiographically as the [[Dutch Republic]], was a [[federal republic]] formally established from the formal creation of a federal state in 1581 by several [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Dutch provinces]] [[Dutch Revolt|seceded]] from [[Spanish Netherlands|Spain]].

===New Zealand===
{{See also|South Island Independence}}

Secession movements have surfaced several times in the [[South Island]] of New Zealand. A [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Premier of New Zealand]], Sir [[Julius Vogel]], was amongst the first people to make this call, which was voted on by the [[Parliament of New Zealand]] as early as 1865. The desire for South Island independence was one of the main factors in moving the capital of New Zealand from [[Auckland]] to [[Wellington]] in the same year.

The [[NZ South Island Party]], with a pro-South agenda, fielded only five candidates (4.20% of electoral seats) candidates in the [[1999 New Zealand general election|1999 General Election]] but achieved only 0.14% (2622 votes) of the general vote. The reality today is that although South Islanders have a strong identity rooted in their geographic region, secession does not carry any real constituency; the party was not able to field any candidates in the 2008 election, as they had less than 500 paying members, a requirement by the New Zealand Electoral commission. The party is treated more as a "joke" party than any real political force.

===Nigeria===
[[File:Starved girl.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|A girl during the [[Nigerian Civil War]] of the late 1960s. Pictures of the famine caused by Nigerian blockade garnered sympathy for the Biafrans worldwide.]]
Between 1967 and 1970, the [[Eastern Region, Nigeria|Eastern Region]] seceded from Nigeria and established the [[Biafra|Republic of Biafra]], which led to a [[Nigerian Civil War|war]] that ended with the state returning to Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Daly|first=Samuel Fury Childs|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/9781108887748|title=A History of the Republic of Biafra|date=2020-08-07|publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/9781108887748|isbn=978-1-108-88774-8|s2cid=225266768}}</ref> In 1999, at the beginning of a [[Fourth Nigerian Republic|new democratic regime]], other secessionist movements emerged, including the [[Indigenous People of Biafra]] led by  [[Nnamdi Kanu]] formed as a Political wing of the [[Republic of Biafra]].<ref>{{Cite book|editor-last=Moses|editor-first=A. Dirk|editor-last2=Heerten|editor-first2=Lasse|title=Postcolonial conflict and the question of genocide: the Nigeria-Biafra War, 1967–1970|date=6 July 2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-351-85866-3|oclc=993762001}}</ref>

===Norway and Sweden===
{{Main|Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905}}

[[Swedish Empire|Sweden]], having left the [[Kalmar Union]] with [[Denmark–Norway]] in the 16th century, entered into a loose [[Union between Sweden and Norway|personal union]] with [[Kingdom of Norway (1814)|Norway]] in 1814. Following a [[constitutional crisis]], on June 7, 1905, the [[Storting|Norwegian Storting]] declared that King [[Oscar II of Norway|Oscar{{spaces}}II]] had failed to fulfil his constitutional duties. He was therefore removed as [[Monarchy of Norway|King of Norway]]. Because the union depended on the two countries sharing a king, it was dissolved. After negotiations, Sweden agreed to mutual independence on October 26 and on April 14.

===Pakistan===
After the [[Awami League]] won the [[1970 Pakistani general election|1970 national elections]], negotiations to form a new government floundered, resulting in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] by which [[East Pakistan]] seceded, becoming [[Bangladesh]]. The [[Balochistan Liberation Army]] (also Baloch Liberation Army or Boluchistan Liberation Army) (BLA) is a [[Baloch nationalist]] militant secessionist organization. The stated goals of the organization include the establishment of an independent state of [[Balochistan (region)|Balochistan]] free of Pakistani, [[Iran]]ian and Afghan Federations. The name Baloch Liberation Army first became public in the summer of 2000, after the organization claimed credit for a series of bomb attacks in markets and removal of railways lines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Balochistan Liberation Army {{!}} Mapping Militant Organizations |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/print_view/297 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=web.stanford.edu}}</ref>

===Papua New Guinea===
{{Main|Provinces of Papua New Guinea#The Bougainville issue}}

The island of [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]] has made several efforts to secede from [[Papua New Guinea]].

===Somalia===
[[Somaliland]] is an autonomous region,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/world/africa/02somalia.html No Winner Seen in Somalia's Battle With Chaos] New York Times, June 2, 2009</ref> which is part of the [[Somalia|Federal Republic of Somalia]].<ref>[http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/countries/docs/charterfeb04.pdf The Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325022231/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/countries/docs/charterfeb04.pdf |date=2009-03-25 }}: "The Somali Republic shall have the following boundaries. (a) North; Gulf of Aden. (b) North West; Djibouti. (c) West; Ethiopia. (d) South south-west; Kenya. (e) East; Indian Ocean."</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/somalia/|title=The World Factbook|work=cia.gov|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> Those who call the area the ''Republic of Somaliland'' consider it to be the successor state of the former [[British Somaliland]] [[protectorate]]. Having established its own local government in Somalia in 1991, the region's self-declared independence remains [[Diplomatic recognition|unrecognized]] by any country or international organization.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/05/world/africa/05somaliland.html|title=The Signs Say Somaliland, but the World Says Somalia|first=Marc|last=Lacey|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 5, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/unia991.pdf|title=UN in Action: Reforming Somaliland's Judiciary}}</ref>

===South Africa===
{{Main|Cape Independence|Volkstaat}}
In 1910, following the [[Boer Republics]] defeat by the [[British Empire]] in the [[Boer War]]s, four self-governing colonies in the south of Africa were merged into the [[Union of South Africa]]. The four regions were the [[Cape Colony]], [[Orange Free State]], [[Colony of Natal|Natal]] and [[Transvaal Colony|Transvaal]]. Three other territories, [[High Commissioner for Southern Africa|High Commission Territories]] of [[Bechuanaland]] (now [[Botswana]]), [[Basutoland]] (now [[Lesotho]]) and [[Swaziland]] (now Eswatini) later became independent states in the 1960s. Following the election of the [[National Party (South Africa)|Nationalist]] government in 1948, some [[English language|English-speaking]] whites in Natal advocated either secession or a loose federation.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080605195636/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,935323,00.html SOUTH AFRICA: Cry of Secession] ''[[TIME]]'', Monday, May 11, 1953</ref> There were also calls for secession, with Natal and the eastern part of the [[Cape Province]] breaking away<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WUVkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2W8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5504,1422353&dq=natal+referendum+republic&hl=en Secession Talked by Some Anti-Republicans], ''[[Saskatoon Star-Phoenix]]'', 11 October 1960</ref> following the [[1960 South African republic referendum|referendum]] in 1960 on establishing a [[republic]]. In 1993, prior to South Africa's first elections under universal suffrage and the end of apartheid, some [[Zulu people|Zulu]] leaders in [[KwaZulu-Natal]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Jtz2IXNqiR0C&dq=kwazulu+natal+secession+1993&pg=PA187 ''Launching Democracy in South Africa: The First Open Election, April 1994''], [[R. W. Johnson]], Lawrence Schlemmer, Yale University Press, 1996</ref> again considered secession as did some politicians in the Cape Province.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xhoWjVX0TLEC&dq=Party+Wants+the+Cape+to+Secede%2C%22+Business+Day%2C+December+24%2C+1993.&pg=PA109 Party Wants the Cape to Secede"], ''[[Business Day (South Africa)|Business Day]]'', December 24, 1993.</ref>

In 2008, a political movement calling for the return to independence of the Cape resurged in the shape of the political organisation, the [[Cape Party]]. The Cape Party contested their first elections on 22 April 2009.<ref>[http://www.capeparty.com/ Cape Party Website], Monday, May 11, 1953</ref> They finished the Western Cape provincial elections in 2019 with 9,331 votes, or 0.45% of votes, gaining no seats<ref name="dash">{{Cite web |url=https://www.elections.org.za/NPEDashboard/app/dashboard.html |title=Results Dashboard| website=www.elections.org.za |access-date=2019-05-11}}</ref>

The idea gained popularity in the early half of the 2020s, with polling suggesting that 58% of Western Cape Voters want a referendum on independence in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Charles|first=Marvin|title=Cape Independence: Lobby group says recent survey 'places intense pressure' on DA to hold referendum|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/cape-independence-lobby-group-says-recent-survey-places-intense-pressure-on-da-to-hold-referendum-20210813|access-date=2021-08-31|website=News24|language=en-US}}</ref>

===South Sudan===
A [[2011 South Sudanese independence referendum|referendum took place in Southern Sudan]] from 9{{spaces}}to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the [[Comprehensive Peace Agreement|2005 Naivasha Agreement]] between the [[Government of Sudan|Khartoum central government]] and the [[South Sudan People's Defence Forces|Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement]] (SPLA/M).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Referendum in Southern Sudan. UNMIS - United Nations Mission in the Sudan |url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/past/unmis/referendum.shtml |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=peacekeeping.un.org}}</ref>

On 7 February 2011, the referendum commission published the final results, with 98.83% voting in favour of independence. While the ballots were suspended in 10 of the 79 counties for exceeding 100% of the voter turnout, the number of votes was still well over the requirement of 60% turnout, and the majority vote for secession is not in question.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-01-30 |title=South Sudan referendum: 99% vote for independence |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12317927 |access-date=2024-02-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

A simultaneous referendum was supposed to be held in Abyei on whether to join Southern Sudan but it has been postponed because of conflict over demarcation and residency rights. In October 2013, a symbolic referendum was held in which 99.9% of voters in Abyei voted to join Southern Sudan. However, this resolution was non-binding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gridneff |first=Ilya |date=October 31, 2013 |title=Thousands in contested Abyei vote to join South Sudan, risking tensions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE99U108/ |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=Reuters}}</ref> As of February 2024, an official referendum still has not taken place. Abyei currently holds "special administrative status".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2011 |title=Abyei Arbitration (Government of Sudan/Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511675812.004 |journal=International Law Reports |volume=144 |pages=348–699 |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511675812.004 |s2cid=232254340 |issn=0309-0671|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The predetermined date for the creation of an independent state was 9{{spaces}}July 2011.

===Soviet Union===
[[File:Cold War border changes.png|thumb|250px|[[List of national border changes since World War I|Changes in national boundaries]] in Eurasia in the decades following the end of the Cold War]]

On November 15, 1917, the day in which [[Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia]] was declared by the [[Bolsheviks]], [[Finland]] seceded after the non-Socialist Senate proposed that  Parliament declare Finland's independence, which was [[Finland's declaration of independence|voted by the Parliament on 6 December 1917]]. On December 18, 1917, it was recognized by [[Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Council of People's]]. It was followed by the [[Finnish Civil War]].

The [[Constitution of the Soviet Union]] guaranteed all [[Republics of the Soviet Union|SSRs]] the right to secede from the Union. In 1990, after free elections, the [[Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic]] [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|declared independence]] and other [[Republics of the Soviet Union|republics]] soon followed. Despite the Soviet central government's refusal to recognize the independence of the republics, the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union dissolved]] in 1991.

===Spain===
{{Main|Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain}}


Present-day Spain (known officially as "the [[Spain|Kingdom of Spain]]") was assembled as a [[Nation state|central state in the French model]] between the [[Nueva Planta decrees|18th]] and [[1833 territorial division of Spain|19th centuries]] from various component kingdoms with varying languages, cultures and legislations. Spain has several [[List of active separatist movements in Europe#Spain|secessionist movements]], the most notable ones being in [[Catalan separatism|Catalonia]], the [[Basque separatism|Basque Country]] and [[Galician independence|Galicia]].

===Sri Lanka===
The [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]], operated a de facto independent state for [[Tamils]] called [[Tamil Eelam]] in eastern and northern [[Sri Lanka]] until 2009.

===Switzerland===
In 1847, seven disaffected [[Catholic Church in Switzerland|Catholic]] cantons formed a separate alliance because of moves to change the [[cantons of Switzerland]] from a [[confederation]] to a more [[centralized government]] [[federation]]. This effort was crushed in the [[Sonderbund War]] and a new [[Swiss Federal Constitution]] was created.<ref>[http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/ocea/vaus/infoch/chhist.html A Brief Survey of Swiss History], Switzerland Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.</ref>

===Ukraine===
[[File:2014-05-11. Референдум в Донецке 014.jpg|thumb|[[2014 Donetsk and Luhansk status referendums|Donetsk status referendum]] organized by pro-Russian separatists. A line to enter a polling place, 11 May 2014.]]

In 2014 after the start of [[Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present)|Russian intervention in Ukraine]], several groups of people declared the independence of several Ukrainian regions:

* The [[Donetsk People's Republic]] was declared to be independent from Ukraine on 7{{spaces}}April 2014, comprising the territory of the [[Donetsk Oblast]]. There have been [[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|military confrontations]] between the [[Ukrainian Army]] and the forces of the Donetsk People's Republic when the Ukrainian Government attempted to reassert control over the oblast.
* The Lugansk Parliamentary Republic was proclaimed on 27 April 2014.<ref name="itarfedlu">{{cite web|url=http://en.itar-tass.com/world/729768|title=Federalization supporters in Luhansk proclaim people's republic|work=TASS: World|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref> before being succeeded by the [[Lugansk People's Republic]]. The Lugansk forces have successfully occupied vital buildings in [[Lugansk]] since 8{{spaces}}April, and controlled the City Council, prosecutor's office, and police station since 27 April.<ref name="BBCLPRRSA">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27206280 | title=Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russia activists take Luhansk offices | date=29 April 2014 | agency=BBC News | access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref> The Government of the [[Luhansk Oblast]] announced its support for a referendum, and granted the governorship to independence leader [[Valeriy Bolotov]].<ref name="kyivpost">{{cite web|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/luhansk-regional-council-backs-referendum-on-regions-status-346356.html|title=Luhansk regional council backs referendum on region's status|date=5 May 2014 |publisher=kyivpost.com|access-date=6 May 2014}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
{{main|Separatism in the United Kingdom|Potential breakup of the United Kingdom}}
The Irish republicans attempted to withdraw [[Ireland]] from the  [[United Kingdom]] during the [[Easter Rebellion]] of 1916. Ireland gained independence as the [[Irish Free State]] in 1922, except for six [[Province of Ulster|Ulster]] counties which chose to remain in the United Kingdom as [[Northern Ireland]]. The United Kingdom has a number of secession movements:

* In [[Northern Ireland]], [[Irish republicanism|Irish republicans]] and [[Irish nationalism|nationalists]] have long called for the secession of Northern Ireland to join the [[Republic of Ireland]]. This is opposed by [[Unionism in Ireland|Unionists]].  A minority have supported the [[Ulster nationalism|independence of Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom without joining the Republic of Ireland]].
* In [[Scotland]], the [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) campaigns for [[Scottish independence]] and direct Scottish membership in the [[European Union]]. It has representation at all levels of [[politics in Scotland|Scottish politics]] and forms the devolved [[Scottish government]]. Later pro-independence parties have had lesser electoral success. The [[Scottish Greens]] and the [[Scottish Socialist Party]] are most widely publicised. However, all independence movements/parties are opposed by [[Unionism in Scotland|unionists]]. A [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on independence]] in which voters were asked "Should Scotland be an independent country?" took place in September 2014. It saw "no" win, as 55.3% of voters voted against independence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-scotland-independence-journey-special-idUKKBN0HE19420140919|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306025425/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-scotland-independence-journey-special-idUKKBN0HE19420140919|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 6, 2016|title=Scotland stays in UK, but Britain faces change|first1=Alistair|last1=Smout|first2=Kylie|last2=MacLellan|first3=Kate|last3=Holton|date=September 19, 2014|access-date=September 19, 2014|publisher=[[Reuters]] – Special Report}}</ref> 
* In [[Wales]], [[Plaid Cymru]] ''(Party of Wales)'' stands for [[Welsh independence]] within the European Union. It is also represented at all levels of [[Welsh politics]] and has often been the second largest party in the [[Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament).
* England:
** In [[Cornwall]], supporters of [[Mebyon Kernow]] call for the creation of a [[Cornish Assembly]] and separation from England, giving the county significant [[Cornish self-government movement|self-government]], whilst remaining within the United Kingdom as a fifth [[home nation]].
** [[London]] has supporters of an independent or semi-autonomous city-state since the 2016 [[EU Referendum]] in which Londoners voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. A [[London independence]] party, known as Londependence, was established in June 2019. Their calls increased after the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 General Election]] in which most Londoners voted for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], gaining a representative, bucking the national trend.
** The [[Northern Independence Party]] is a party formed in 2020 that seeks to make [[Northern England]] an independent state under the name [[Northumbria]].

===United States===
{{Main|Secession in the United States}}

Discussions and threats of secession often surfaced in [[Politics of the United States|American politics]] during the first half of the 19th century, and secession was declared by the [[Confederate States of America]] in the [[Southern United States|South]] during the [[American Civil War]]. However, in 1869, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]] ruled in ''[[Texas v. White]]'' that unilateral secession was not permitted, saying that the union between a state ([[Texas]] in the case before the bar) and the other states "was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States."<ref name="Texas v. White"/><ref name="books.google.com"/> Current secession movements still exist, the most notable example of which is the Hawaiian sovereignty movement which formed after the illegal annexation of the [[Kingdom of Hawaii]] by the United States under the [[Newlands Resolution]] passed by Congress in 1898. Many international organizations consider Hawaii under American occupation. {{cn|date=December 2024}}

===Yemen===
[[Yemen Arab Republic|North Yemen]] and [[South Yemen]] merged in 1990; tensions led to a 1994 southern secession which was crushed in a [[1994 civil war in Yemen|civil war]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Hiro|first=Dilip|title=Saudi-Iranian Détente|date=2019-03-01|work=Cold War in the Islamic World|pages=141–162|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190944650.003.0009|isbn=978-0-19-094465-0}}</ref>

===Yugoslavia===
[[File:A destroyed T-34-85 tank in Karlovac, Croatia.jpg|thumb|A destroyed [[T-34-85]] tank in Karlovac, [[Croatian War of Independence]], 1992]]

On June 25, 1991, [[Croatia]] and [[Slovenia]] seceded from the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]. [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[North Macedonia]] also declared independence, after which the federation broke up, causing the separation of the remaining two countries [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]]. Several [[Yugoslav Wars|wars]] ensued between the [[Serbia and Montenegro|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] and seceding entities and among other ethnic groups in [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], and later, [[Kosovo]]. Montenegro peacefully separated from its union with Serbia in 2006.

[[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|Kosovo unilaterally declared independence]] from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and was recognized by around 100 countries, with the rest considering it remaining under [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|United Nations administration]].