The position of the Organization of African Unity on the Shaba events and foreign intervention in them (1977-1978 AD)

Abstract

The research dealt with the position of the Organization of African Unity on foreign intervention in the events of Shaba (1977-1978), as it included the most prominent ones held by the organization in Libreville and Khartoum, and the positions of the most prominent member states of the organization, especially those that sent their military forces to liberate the Shaba region alongside the French and Belgian forces, which landed directly with the control of the forces of the Fatelik Front over Shaba, which posed a real threat to Western interests and their subjects there.

 Western countries viewed the conflict in Shaba as a conflict between the Western camp led by the United States and the Eastern camp led by the Soviet Union, which provided military support to most of the national liberation movements in Africa, and this led to the weakness of the organization and its decisions as a result of the intersection of foreign and African interests and its lack of effective tools through which to impose its decisions, especially since it does not have military or personnel forces in Africa, because this project was opposed by Western countries, especially France, which prevented the idea from the ground up, and expressed its readiness to defend African countries in the event of an internal or external threat.

Western countries harnessed all their military capabilities, especially the United States, which established an air bridge of logistical support for Western and African forces, fearing that the Frente PLA, supported by the Soviets and Cuba, would control the Shaba region, which was rich in natural resources and in which many American and Western companies operated. Therefore, there was no complete freedom for the organization to impose its policy, because the events in Shaba were more global than African, and it was even a station in the Cold War between East and West.