AHC: African Nuclear War

At any point of departure, come up with a plausible series of events that leads to a nuclear war between at least two nations (as in two nuclear powers) on the continent of Africa. Such nations must be independent and cannot be European colonies.
 
South Africa clearly.

During the 1980s, development of nuclear power in Egypt and Algeria put them on the road.

Uranium resources existing in Botswana, Niger or Zimbabwe not compatible with level of industrialisation necessary for development of nukes.

In the event of South Africa using nukes, the Soviets might have made them available to Angola or Ethiopia
 

Deleted member 96212

South Africa seems like the only country that could start a nuclear war in Africa, but one wonders why they would do such a thing.
 
Actually, your best bet is to have nonproliferation fail miserably. OTL, countries like Argentina and Brazil had nuclear programs, which they ended up closing down.

Depending on the PoD, you could have the US providing weapons to NATO countries (to keep Britain and France from producing their own), which leads to the USSR providing weapons to WarPac countries. Once providing nukes is a standard part of Superpower Cold War diplomacy (like OTL's fighter jets, etc.), you could easily end up with a dozen African states (or more) with a handful of weapons.

Then all you need is a war that involves two of those countries. Egypt and Libya? Morocco and Spanish/Western Sahara? Idi Amin vs some random neighbour?

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If you're looking at indigenously developed weapons, it's much, much tougher.

IIRC the only African countries that actually had bomb programs were South Africa (which produced a few, and then gave them up), and Libya. Trying to imagine a war between those two boggles the mind.

However, if Libya continued on her nuclear path, Egypt might follow suit (both against Israel and Libya), and you might get a war with nukes used between those two.

Subsaharan black nations develop their own nukes? Really, really doubt it. Not without a pre-WWI PoD.
 
IIRC the only African countries that actually had bomb programs were South Africa (which produced a few, and then gave them up), and Libya. Trying to imagine a war between those two boggles the mind.
Easy. The little green alien that only Gaddafi can hear tells him to nuke South Africa, which he does.
 
Well, there was a nuclear power plant in the Congo? Also Nigeria and Angola seem like military wise the most likely. I have a staff meeting, but I may draw up a quick thought.
 
For All Time had one between South Africa and an Idi Amin led East Africa. The later would have enough critical mass for a crude programme.
 
Have South Africa disentigrate into a bloody race war in the mid 1980s. They are pushed back toward the cape and in a burst of desperation, use their small nuclear stockpile tactically against Cuban-spearheaded advances.

Things shit pan from there and the Soviet Union donates tactical warheads to the rebel forces who then nuke South African forces.

(This is more or less a TL I was planning hahah)
 
Have South Africa disentigrate into a bloody race war in the mid 1980s. They are pushed back toward the cape and in a burst of desperation, use their small nuclear stockpile tactically against Cuban-spearheaded advances.

Things shit pan from there and the Soviet Union donates tactical warheads to the rebel forces who then nuke South African forces.

(This is more or less a TL I was planning hahah)

I dont think the Soviets would ever donate tactical nukes - they didnt even hand over control to WP countries. But the rest, perhaps in conjunction with a something out of Rhodesia, maybe the Soviets back Mugabwe, seems like a rather terrifying but plausible scenario. Black insurrection in SA supported by Zimbabwe, the Soviets, and Cubans...
 
Easy. The little green alien that only Gaddafi can hear tells him to nuke South Africa, which he does.

But how would Libya deliver the nukes? I doubt they'd have the capability to make an SSBN or an ICBM.

A suitcase nuke seems to be the only viable option.

Maybe a senile Gaddafi decides to nuke a surviving apartheid South Africa, inspired by his Pan-African ideology?
 
I dont think the Soviets would ever donate tactical nukes - they didnt even hand over control to WP countries. But the rest, perhaps in conjunction with a something out of Rhodesia, maybe the Soviets back Mugabwe, seems like a rather terrifying but plausible scenario. Black insurrection in SA supported by Zimbabwe, the Soviets, and Cubans...

Damn you, got me thinking about that TL again.
 
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