Africa's big three – Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa – focused the summit on peace talks and ending military rule
For once, the Organisation of African Unity caught the mood of the continent, balanced uneasily between hope and despair. Hope that, after shaky ceasefire agreements in Congo-Kinshasa and Sierra Leone, the Algiers OAU summit (12-16 July) might progress towards resolving the conflicts ripping through over one-fifth of Africa's 53 states. Despair that good intentions are far from realisation, as economic weakness persists and old conflicts linger on in Angola and Sudan. Yet by the standards of summits in general and OAU summits in particular, it was constructive.
President Bouteflika's hosting of the OAU summit revived his diplomatic networks
It was a spectacular relaunch for Algeria's foreign policy. Over 2,000 African diplomats and 44 heads of state and government arrived in a freshly painted Algiers for the...
The company which dominated many African economies may soon be transformed
For many years, the oil company Elf Aquitaine provided the motive, and the excuse, for French policies in Africa. It was founded by President Charles de Gaulle during...