· Other
Chittagong Hill Tracts insurgency, 1977-1997
A two-decade armed conflict over Jumma autonomy and land rights, fuelled by state-sponsored Bengali settlement, ended with a negotiated peace accord.
Dated events from published cases, in chronological order. Dates keep their real precision; a period filter includes any event whose date range overlaps it.
45 events.
· Other
A two-decade armed conflict over Jumma autonomy and land rights, fuelled by state-sponsored Bengali settlement, ended with a negotiated peace accord.
· Other
Kurdish autonomy demands were rejected by the new Islamic Republic, leading to a war reported to have killed around 10,000 Iranian Kurds.
· Conflict episode
Jimmy Stevens' Nagriamel movement led an uprising on Espiritu Santo from June 1980, declaring the unrecognised "State of Vemerana," which was suppressed by Papua New Guinean troops shortly after Vanuatu's independence.
In: Vanuatu
· Declaration
Tanna and neighbouring islands were declared an independent "Tafea Nation," distinct from the Espiritu Santo secession.
· Election
Under British administration and Lancaster House arrangements, Southern Rhodesia held elections from 14 February to 4 March 1980, in which the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, led by Robert Mugabe, won a majority of seats.
In: Zimbabwe
· Declaration
Zimbabwe became independent at midnight on 18 April 1980, at a ceremony in Salisbury (later Harare) attended by Prince Charles, at which Robert Mugabe took office as the country's first Prime Minister.
In: Zimbabwe
· Referendum or popular consultation
Voters refused the Quebec government a mandate to negotiate sovereignty-association, by 59.56% to 40.44%.
In: Quebec
· Declaration
Jimmy Stevens declared Espiritu Santo independent shortly before Vanuatu's own independence.
· Conflict episode
A march to free imprisoned breakaway-state supporters ended in a fatal firefight.
· Declaration
The New Hebrides, jointly administered by the United Kingdom and France as an Anglo-French Condominium since 1906, became independent as the Republic of Vanuatu on 30 July 1980, following a 1977 Paris conference and a 1979 constitution.
In: Vanuatu
· Recognition
Following the Security Council's recommendation, the General Assembly admitted the Republic of Zimbabwe as the 153rd member of the United Nations.
In: Zimbabwe
· Administrative change
Anguilla was formally separated from Saint Kitts-Nevis, becoming a distinct British dependency.
· Referendum or popular consultation
Voters approved the current Statute of Autonomy by a large margin, but on unusually low turnout.
In: Galicia
· Declaration
A November 1980 military coup in Guinea-Bissau, which deposed President Luís Cabral, broke the political unity envisaged between Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde; Cape Verde's PAIGC branch, under Aristides Pereira, separated and re-formed as the PAICV in January 1981.
In: Cape Verde
· Recognition
The Security Council recommended Vanuatu's admission to the United Nations on 8 July 1981, and the General Assembly admitted it on 15 September 1981.
In: Vanuatu
· Conflict episode
Argentina and the UK fought a war following an Argentine military landing on the islands.
· Referendum or popular consultation
A non-binding vote on Guam's political status favoured commonwealth status on low turnout.
· Recognition
The Organization of African Unity admitted the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, proclaimed in 1976.
In: Western Sahara
· Organisation founded
A merger of Galician nationalist organisations founded the BNG, whose principles included recognising a Galician right of self-determination.
In: Galicia
· Protest
The MFDC's first pro-independence demonstration marked its shift from decades of autonomy agitation to violent secession.
In: Casamance
· Declaration
Turkish Cypriot authorities declared an independent state in northern Cyprus; the UN Security Council swiftly declared the declaration legally invalid.
In: Northern Cyprus
· Organisation founded
The party gained formal recognition, following its 1978 merger from the earlier petition drive.
· Other
An Indian military assault on the Golden Temple complex killed militant leader Bhindranwale and, per disputed estimates, hundreds to thousands of others.
· Other
The PKK launched an armed insurgency in southeastern Turkey, beginning a conflict that would continue for over four decades.
· Other
A diaspora organisation formed to pursue Khmer Krom self-determination through peaceful, international advocacy.
· Agreement
A treaty between Australia and PNG fixed the maritime border and created a Protected Zone for traditional movement.
· Other
Cubillo returned from exile and shifted the movement toward electoral politics.
· Other
A violent agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state was resolved through the creation of an autonomous hill council.
In: Gorkhaland
· Constitutional change
Aruba became a separate constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the night Betico Croes suffered his fatal accident.
· Agreement
A negotiated settlement ended two decades of insurgency, granting Mizoram full Indian statehood the following year.
· Agreement
The CPLA and the Philippine government agreed to a cessation of hostilities, opening the path to constitutional autonomy provisions.
· Organisation founded
An autonomist party uniting several Occitanist movements was founded in Toulouse, becoming the most electorally active Occitanist party.
In: Occitania
· Declaration
Henry Gibson declared Rotuma independent of Fiji and proclaimed himself king, an effort ended by 1988 sedition trials.
· Legislation
The North and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions were created, establishing a modern self-government framework.
· Agreement
The first major armed Tripuri nationalist group disarmed in exchange for tribal land restoration measures.
· Protest
A wave of mass public singing gatherings from June 1988, and the 23 August 1989 Baltic Way human chain of over two million people across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, became the defining nonviolent movement for restoring Baltic independence.
In: Estonia
· Other
A war between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces that left Armenian forces in control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azerbaijani territory for nearly three decades.
· Conflict episode
An armed conflict that began around the Panguna mine, closed it in 1989 and lasted until a truce in 1997.
In: Bougainville
· Other
The CNF formed to resist Myanmar's military government, later entering ceasefires including the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.
· Declaration
The Palestine National Council proclaimed the State of Palestine, subsequently acknowledged by the UN General Assembly.
· Agreement
The Security Council set 1 April 1989 as the date on which implementation of the 1978 settlement plan would begin, deploying UNTAG to supervise a cease-fire and the transition to elections.
In: Namibia
· Other
A mutiny against Communist Party of Burma leadership at Pangsang created what became Myanmar's most powerful ethnic armed organization.
· Other
The killing of the KDPI's Secretary-General during talks in Vienna triggered a renewed insurgency that lasted until 1996.
· Election
Namibians elected a 72-member Constituent Assembly from 7 to 11 November 1989, in a UN-supervised vote with turnout above 97%; SWAPO won 57.33% of the vote and 41 seats, and the Secretary-General's Special Representative certified the process free and fair.
In: Namibia
· Other
A reorganized nationalist party later split between a fully secessionist wing and an autonomy-focused wing.