How did colonial borders divide ethnic groups in Central Africa?

During the colonial era, European powers established borders in Central Africa that frequently disregarded existing social and political structures, resulting in the fragmentation of numerous ethnic groups across different colonial territories and modern-day national boundaries.12

These arbitrary divisions have had a lasting impact on the region's stability and social cohesion. Examples of ethnic groups split by these colonial-era borders include:1

• Twa (Pygmies): Scattered across forests ranging from Cameroon to the mountains near Lake Kivu.2
• Fang: Occupying parts of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and southern Cameroon.2
• Teke: Distributed throughout the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.2
• Kongo: Inhabiting western Congo (Kinshasa), western Congo (Brazzaville), and Angola.2
• Chokwe and Lunda: Occupying territories in both Congo (Kinshasa) and Angola.2

The imposition of these borders, often formalized during the Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Conference, forced diverse societies to adapt to new administrative frameworks that prioritized European imperial interests over indigenous social and political continuity.13