Apartheid government unbans the ANC and other organizations

Zimbabwe became independent after a protracted liberation war and the Lancaster House settlement. Independence was a historic victory, while land redistribution and the colonial ownership structure...

African governments adopt a plan emphasizing self-reliant development, regional cooperation and reduced dependence on external economic control. The plan challenged externally imposed development...

The OAU adopted the African Charter in Nairobi, placing individual rights alongside collective rights, peoples’ self-determination and development. The treaty was an African-authored normative...

The African Charter became binding on states that had ratified it. Its entry into force created a regional human-rights framework that recognized peoples’ rights and development, while the gap between...

Angola, Cuba and South Africa signed agreements in New York linking Cuban troop withdrawal, South African withdrawal from Angola and implementation of Namibian independence. The accord reflected...

Mandela is released after 27 years in prison. His release followed decades of struggle by the ANC and other organizations, international anti-apartheid campaigns and negotiations; it did not itself...

Namibia gains independence after a long liberation struggle against South African rule and occupation. The outcome demonstrated the importance of armed resistance, international solidarity and...

Member states signed the Abuja Treaty, setting out a staged route toward an African Economic Community. It expressed economic integration as a condition for collective agency, while the timeline and...

The Pan Africanist Congress convened its third congress in Umtata during South Africa’s transition struggle. The meeting reflected the PAC’s attempt to renew its role amid negotiations, factional...

At Windhoek, leaders signed the declaration and treaty that transformed SADCC into the Southern African Development Community. The shift moved from coordination among majority-ruled states toward a...