Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material -- Prologue: Historicising Sawaba -- 1. The Rise of the Udn, 1946–1957 -- 2. To Revolutionary Supremacy, March 1957–May 1958 -- 3. The Challenge of the Fifth Republic -- 4. A Referendum -- 5. Declining Fortunes -- 6. Going Underground, 1958–1961 -- 7. Building to Undermine, 1959–1962 -- 8. Repression, Dissension, and the Road to Arms -- 9. Training Cadres and Commandos, 1958–1969 -- 10. Infiltrations, 1960–1964 -- 11. Regime Responses, 1962–1964 -- 12. Guerrilla War, July–December 1964 -- 13. Guerrilla War, 1965–1966 -- 14. The Road of Honour: The Destruction of a Social Movement, 1965–1974 -- Epilogue: Aftermath and Memory -- Annexes -- Bibliography -- Index.

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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.

Description based on print version record.