African heads of state are meeting in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at their annual summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

President Mandela of South Africa is also expected to attend what will be his last OAU summit before he retires from office.

The meeting is likely to be dominated by discussion of the border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which is the sort of crisis the OAU was designed to prevent.

But a question lies over what influence the OAU could really have over the argument.

Borders unchallenged

When the OAU was formed after the independence of most African nations, one of its guiding principles was the acceptance of former colonial borders. To try and re-draw them, it was argued, would lead to chaos.

Congo President Denis Sassou-Nguesso waves on arrival

This principle was broadly accepted and, given how arbitrary some of the former colonial borders were, cutting as they did across ethnic groups and communities, it is perhaps surprising that there have not been more African border wars since independence.

The hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia show how sensitive the border issue can be, and how easily the OAU can be sidelined when a conflict breaks out.

Others play greater role

OAU foreign ministers, meeting in Ouagadougou before their presidents, called on the two sides to stop hostilities. But this had little effect and in fact, the Americans, along with Rwanda, and not the OAU, were called upon to try and mediate a solution.

This summit could have seen Africa congratulating itself on resolving the situation in Sierra Leone. There, in February, a Nigerian-led peace-keeping force ousted an illegal military regime, a move which African leaders saw as a symbol of the continent successfully dealing with its own affairs.