Forgotten world (40): Corsica
The Mediterranean island of Corsica – 100 miles south of France – has had an active nationalist movement since Genoa governed it in the 14th century. It was ceded to France in 1768, the year before Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio.
Today the island – half the size of Wales and with a population of 260,000 – is home to the last major terrorist movement waging a violent war for independence in western Europe. After the IRA announced an end to its armed struggle and the Basque separatist group Eta called a permanent ceasefire, Corsican separatists are the only significant grouping not to have renounced violence.
Militant separatists have been waging a low-level violent struggle since the 1970s, often targeting banks, police stations and government buildings. In 1998 France’s top official on the island was assassinated.
A proposal by the French government to give Corsica limited, increased autonomy was narrowly defeated in a referendum in 2003. The FLNC Union of Combatants and the October 22 FLNC continue to mount violent attacks, but 2.3M tourists still visit the isalnd each year.