International law and the right to self-determination

Abstract

Abstract provided by author

This Dissertation examines the scope and content of the right to self-determination as spelt out in international legal instruments such as the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.The Dissertation also looks at the relationship between secession and international law as well as the relationship between secession and the right to self-determination. The paper also looks at the impact of secession and the right to self-determination with regard to the sovereign ant territorial integrity of the independent State. The Dissertation also provides an overview of notable cases regarding the issues of secession and recognition of secessionist states. More so, the paper deals with the Namibian test cases of Rehoboth and Caprivian situations with regard to their demand for the right to self-determination, as well as the Namibian legal framework regarding the notion of self-determination.