OAU

By the late 20th century, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had been showing itself as a risingly impactful platform for African states to enhance cooperation with one another, strengthen historical ties, and combat the scars of colonialism through integrated initiatives. In this sense, the OAU committee at SiSA proposes the discussion of a profound issue that protagonized the political scenario of the Horn of Africa in the 1990s: the Eritrean-Ethiopian war. Fostering a polarized debate, incorporating unusual perspectives, and aiming to solve a deeply cultural conflict, the committee is an opportunity to dive into one of the most significant combats that have endangered this region in years.



In the middle of hostilities, delegates will meet in an attempt to settle a cease-fire agreement that puts an end to the ongoing war, as well as to investigate and counteract its humanitarian consequences, such as by providing aid directly to affected populations or identifying migration concerns in neighboring countries. For this reason, even though it is uncommon for this type of House, the committees’ resolutions will hold a mandatory character. The discussion will take into consideration the historical background of unsettling secular relations that go all the way back to the fourteenth century, cross the Italian colonization during the 1930s, go into a recently conquered Eritrean independence from Ethiopia in 1991, and erupt in combat again in 1998.