From the 1980s onwards, the economies of most African countries fell into crisis, while the number of local conflicts grew. The United Nations failed to provide the support the continent had hoped for: it was unable to prevent the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and its peacekeeping missions in various countries often ended in failure.
Even the appointment of African secretaries-general – Boutros Boutros-Ghali and later Kofi Annan – brought little tangible change: Africa never received a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
What defines the relationship between Africa and the UN today? And why is the continent increasingly turning to BRICS and other international alliances for cooperation?
