Keeping the Colonial Map: Borders After Independence

Most colonial borders were drawn by Europeans with little regard for local peoples, yet new states largely kept them. In 1963 the Organisation of African Unity's charter pledged respect for the territorial integrity of member states, and in 1964 at Cairo African leaders formally accepted the borders existing at independence. Their reasoning was practical: almost every border could be challenged, so opening one dispute risked conflict everywhere. As a result, attempts at secession, such as Katanga and Biafra, received little African support.

There were exceptions and disputes. Somalia, seeking to unite all Somali-inhabited areas, fought Ethiopia over the Ogaden in 1977–78. When Spain left Western Sahara in 1975–76, Morocco and Mauritania claimed it, and the Polisario Front fought for independence; its final status became one of Africa's longest-running disputes. Eritrea, which had been federated with and then annexed by Ethiopia, won independence in 1993 after a long war. The principle of keeping inherited borders brought stability but also left some groups divided.