LUSAKA : A Front With No War?

The “Frontline” of black-ruled countries, linked for so long by their proximity to--and disdain for--apartheid South Africa, meet Wednesday in the Zambian capital to elect a new chairman and also to ponder serious questions about their collective future.

With apartheid and white-minority rule beginning to crumble in South Africa, the question these days is whether the Frontline still has a reason to exist. One by one, African countries are removing sanctions on Pretoria.

Black Africa’s leaders are increasingly worrying less about putting pressure on Pretoria and more about their own political and economic futures. The Frontline hopes to eventually engage a black-ruled South Africa in projects that will benefit the entire region.