UN General Assembly
1977

106. I cannot end my remarks on Africa without touching briefly on the unfortunate war which has been raging with growing ferocity in the Horn of Africa. Attempts by the OAU to settle the conflict through peaceful negotiations proceed with determination. But my delegation regrets that success has not attended the efforts of the OAU. It is an accepted historical fact that the present African frontiers were drawn by the colonial Powers, almost a century ago, with scant regard for ethnic and other relevant considerations. African frontiers have always, therefore, constituted potential sources of conflicts between one country and another. It was in order to bury for ever such inherent dangers that the founding fathers of the OAU in their wisdom adopted, as an essential element in the Charter of their organization, the principle of the inviolability of frontiers, by which the boundaries inherited from colonialism were to be accepted without question by the successor States. For it should be fairly obvious that, if one were to proceed to a general modification of African frontiers in response to the dictates of ethnicity and other reasons, there would be no end to friction between African countries. It is our hope, therefore, that all the parties involved in the present conflict will cease their fire and talk, so that the scant resources of the area can be channelled to the economic and social advantage of their peoples.