RP257 Aouzou Strip in Northern Africa

 RP257 Aouzou Strip in Northern Africa

In Northern Africa, between Chad and Libya, lies a strip of land that covers about 114,000 square kilometers. The land— the Aouzou Strip— has been causing conflict for nearly 100 years.

The Aouzou Strip conflict is a consequence of the colonial carving up of Africa. The Strip was originally given to Libya by France after World War I. It was part of a treaty granting Italy territory as compensation for its role in the war. Because Italy controlled Libya, the Aouzou Strip was attached to Italy's land there. Western powers divided up African land and traded it amongst themselves.

Only a decade after the treaty was signed, Italy fought against France in WWII, and French soldiers in Africa decided to take the Strip back and attach it to their territories (what is now Chad). That lasted until 1973, when Libya decided that they wanted the Strip again and sent soldiers there. That move eventually resulted in the Chadian-Libyan conflict, an on-again, off-again war that lasted from 1978 to 1987.

Both sides had documents and treaties to prove that they owned the Strip, because the land in Africa had gone back and forth and been divided and redivided so many times. Eventually, the case went to the International Court of Justice, which decided in 1994 that the land belonged to Chad.

What makes the Aouzou Strip so important? Uranium and probably other radioactive elements. The irony is that Chad probably doesn't have the ability to mine and use this resource itself. They will control the minerals but probably sell them to another government. That government will mine the land, damage the environment, take the minerals, and leave lucky Chad to clean up the mess and find another non-renewable resource to sell. The Aouzou Strip and the violence surrounding it reminds us of the impact of colonization and exploitation in Africa.