p A typical feature of almost all African states is that they have preserved the borders which had been fixed by the European metropolitan countries during the colonial partitioning of the continent. In their rivalry for possession of Africa’s wealth the imperialist powers established the borders between their colonies with utter disregard for natural, geographic, economic or ethnic features. Moreover, in furtherance of their selfish interests the colonialists repeatedly readjusted the borders of the territories they had seized. That explains the tension between some African states, which sometimes leads to armed conflicts.

p Conflicts arising from border and territorial disputes began to gain in intensity in 1963. Hence, the timely nature of the Soviet Government’s message of 31 December 1963 to the heads of state and government of all countries proposing the conclusion of an agreement on the non-use of force in the settlement of territorial and border disputes. "In the current situation,” the message says, "it is possible to raise and solve the problem of excluding the use of force in territorial disputes between states from international relations.”  [72•15 

p The Soviet Government also mentioned the situation that developed in Africa in connection with border conflicts: 73 “The question of the borders between states in Africa, which has remained as a heritage of colonialism, is very complicated and confused.... The recent events in North Africa clearly show that the cause of strengthening and development of independent African countries is greatly impaired whenever one such country resorts to armed forces against another in order to satisfy its territorial claims".  [73•16  The Soviet Government directly pointed to the threat of interference by imperialist powers and said that conflicts between African countries were a godsend to the more powerful states which had not abandoned hope of somehow retrieving a part of what they had lost.

p The Soviet Government’s message contained a reminder that in the OAU Charter, which was adopted in May 1963, the heads of state and government of African countries unanimously reiterated that territorial disputes should be resolved by negotiation. The Soviet Union’s firm and clear stand on the question of territorial and border disputes and its proposal to conclude an international agreement on the non-use of force in resolving territorial and border disputes was widely welcomed in Africa.

p Significantly enough, the conflicting African states of Algeria and Morocco, Ethiopia, the Somali Republic and Kenya were the first to respond to the Soviet initiative. The message was published on 4 January 1964 in Pravda and on the following day the Sunday issue of the Algerian newspaper Le Peuple printed a detailed summary of it. The paper emphasised that the new Soviet proposal was in keeping with the spirit and letter of the OAU Charter which envisaged a peaceful solution of such disputes. In an editorial on 9 January, the Voice of Ethiopia noted that the Soviet proposals to prohibit the use of force in territorial disputes merited great attention, particularly in some parts of Asia and Africa. It made the point that if the states did not renounce force as a means of implementing their policy, local disputes could develop into serious international conflicts.

p Vice-Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Kenyan Parliament Fritz de Suza said that he welcomed the appeal not to resort to force in resolving border 74 problems. He noted that the borders of many Asian and African countries had been delimited to suit the imperialists. The desire to use force in solving these problems, he continued, played into the hands of the imperialists, and the incitement of hostility undermined African unity. Peaceful talks and, if necessary, international mediation, were the only way to resolving these issues. The Somali newspaper Unione wrote that the Soviet proposal was made at a time when border and territorial disputes created an explosive situation in some parts of the world, and that the message could be compared to a jet of water aimed at a blazing fire.

p In their replies to the Soviet Government the majority of the heads of African states expressed their approval of this new peace initiative.

p Since the situation in some parts of Africa remained tense, the Soviet Union continued its efforts to localise territorial and border disputes and time and again made concrete proposals to the conflicting sides. For example, when in February 1964 the tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia exploded into direct hostilities, the Soviet Government sent messages to the heads of both states. It pointed out that the military clashes which led to human and material losses ran counter to the interests and aspirations of both sides and that it was necessary to search for a peaceful settlement of such problems. The Soviet Government urged Ethiopia and Somalia "to take all necessary measures and make every possible effort to secure a ceasefire on the Ethiopian-Somali border and prevent the flames of the border conflict from turning into a war conflagration between Ethiopia and the Somali Republic".  [74•17  The Soviet Government’s messages to the heads of state of Ethiopia and Somalia which coincided with a similar appeal of the Emergency Session of the OAU Foreign Ministers had the desired effect: on 16 February fighting ended on the SomaliEthiopian border.

p In its efforts to help remove friction in relations between African states, theJSoviet Union welcomed the termination of the Algerian-Moroccan conflict. It sent messages saying that in connection with the agreement reached 75 between the governments of Morocco and Algeria to resolve their border conflict by peaceful means, the Soviet Government extended sincere congratulations on its own behalf and on behalf of the Soviet peoples.  [75•18 

p The Soviet Government’s messages further noted that the use of force in territorial disputes ran counter to the interests of all countries and that armed conflicts over territorial issues "merely made it easier for the imperialists to plot against the peoples of the newly free countries.” In conclusion it made the point that "the peaceful settlement of the Moroccan-Algerian conflict in the spirit of the OAU Charter instils the hope that it will set a good example for other states in facing similar problems".  [75•19 

p In the years that followed the Soviet Union initiated international agreements with the view to strengthening international peace and security. Its efforts were met with approval in Africa and stimulated the development of interAfrican cooperation and Soviet-African relations. In 1965, for example, the 20th UN General Assembly endorsed the Soviet-sponsored Declaration on Inadmissibility of Intervention in Domestic Affairs of States and Protection of Their Independence and Sovereignty. In 1966 the USSR Foreign Minister sent a letter to the Chairman of the 21st General Assembly proposing that the Assembly’s agenda should include an item on the follow-up action. A corresponding resolution which included the basic proposals of the Soviet delegation was adopted.

p At the 25th UN General Assembly in 1970 Soviet, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Polish, Czechoslovak and Mongolian delegations submitted a draft Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security. It said, among other things, that it was necessary "to settle all disputes by peaceful means and, to that end, make fuller use of the procedures and methods provided in the Charter".  [75•20 

p At the request of the USSR the 27th Session of the General Assembly included into its agenda the item " NonUse of Force in International Relations and Permanent Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons”. On 29 November 1972 the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2936 which on behalf of the UN member countries solemnly proclaimed "their renunciation of the use or threat of force in all its forms and manifestations in international relations, in accordance with the Charter, and the permanent prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons.”  [76•21 

p The Peace Programme which is being energetically pursued by the Soviet Union objectively urges the peaceful solution of disputes, including territorial and border issues, in Africa. In 1975, in the debate on the dangerous conflict between Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania over Western Sahara, in the Security Council and at the 30th Session of the General Assembly the Soviet representative emphasised that the peoples of Western Sahara had the right to self-determination. The Soviet Union reiterated this stand in the Joint Soviet-Algerian Communique of 15 January 1978.

In the summer of 1977 an explosive situation developed in the north-east of Africa when hostilities broke out in the eastern and southern regions of Ethiopia between the invading regular units of the Somali army and the Ethiopian forces. In contrast to the imperialists and other reactionary forces which frenziedly tried to aggravate the conflict between these two African states, the USSR, from the very outset, did its best to help Somalia and Ethiopia to reach a negotiated settlement and secure firm and lasting peace on the Horn of Africa. This attitude was made public in a TASS statement of 14 August. But the chauvinistic and expansionist feelings in the Somali Government prevailed over ordinary common sense. It not only continued its aggression against neighbouring Ethiopia, but unilaterally ended the Soviet-Somali Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation of 11 July 1974. But history shows that aggression always 77 ends in defeat, and such was the lot of the chauvinistic circles in Somalia. On their part the USSR and other socialist countries, including Cuba, once again demonstrated their fidelity to internationalism.

The Soviet Union’s contribution to the consolidation of the international positions of the African states not only stimulates Soviet-African relations, but also tremendously helps all developing countries in their efforts to cut short imperialism’s aggressive plans and bring peace and security to all the peoples of the world.