Aouzou Strip The Aouzou Strip ( ; Arabic قطاع أوزو , alternatively Aozou Strip ) is a strip of land in northern Chad which lies along the border with Libya , extending south to a depth of about 100 kilometers into Chad ' s Borkou - Ennedi - Tibesti Region for an area of 114 , 000 km² . The region played a significant role in the Chadian – Libyan conflict . Inclusion in Italian Libya . The Aouzou strip was defined for the first time in the discussions between France and Italy after World War I , in relation to an award to Italy for the victory in that war . At the Paris Peace Conference , 1919 , the Kingdom of Italy did not receive any of the German colonies , but instead was given the Oltre Giuba from Great Britain , and France agreed to give some Saharan territories to Italian Libya . After many discussions during the 1920s , in 1935 the Franco - Italian Agreement was signed between Benito Mussolini and Pierre Laval , which included a provision under which Italy would receive the Aouzou strip , which was to be added to Libya . France ' s other motivations in concluding this agreement with Italy were to settle the status of the Italian Tunisian community in its protectorate of the country , to remove irredentist Italian claims to Nice , and to prevent Italy from growing closer to Nazi Germany by keeping it closely aligned with France and the United Kingdom ( the Stresa Front ) . This policy failed two years later after Italy drifted into the German orbit by concluding the Pact of Steel with Nazi Germany , leading to the " instruments of ratification " of the Mussolini - Laval Treaty never being exchanged with France . Despite this the new border was conventionally assumed to be the southern boundary of Libya until 1955 . History . Claimed to be rich in uranium deposits , the area was the cause of dispute with Libya , which led to a war between the two countries . In 1973 , Libya engaged in military operations in the Aouzou Strip to gain access to minerals and to use it as a base of influence in Chadian politics . This ultimately resulted in the Chadian – Libyan conflict . Libya argued that the territory was inhabited by indigenous people who owed vassalage to the Senoussi Order and subsequently to the Ottoman Empire , and that this title had been inherited by Libya . It also supported its claim with an unratified 1935 treaty between France and Italy ( the " Mussolini - Laval Treaty " ) , the colonial power s of Chad and Libya , respectively , that confirmed the possession of the strip by Italy . After consolidating its hold on the strip , Libya annexed it in 1936 . The frontier claimed by the Chadian government was based on a 1955 treaty between France and Libya , which , in turn , referred back to an 1899 agreement between Great Britain and France about " spheres of influence " . Despite other differences , this was one position on which all Chadian political parties and factions were able to agree . During the so - called Toyota War in 1987 , the final stage of the Chadian – Libyan conflict , Chadian forces were able to force the Libyans to retreat from the Aouzou Strip . A cease - fire between Chad and Libya held from 1987 to 1988 , followed by unsuccessful negotiations over the next several years . Finally a 1994 International Court of Justice decision found ( by a majority of 16 to 1 ) in favour of Chad sovereignty over the Aouzou strip , and ended the Libyan claim . The United Nations Security Council established the United Nations Aouzou Strip Observer Group in Resolution 915 ( May 1994 ) to monitor the withdrawal of Libyan troops , and was terminated in Resolution 926 ( June 1994 ) when it was completed .