Tanzania, April 20 -- Dar es Salaam. The air hung heavy with anticipation on February 24, 1991. For 39 days, a tense standoff had gripped the Middle East.

The relentless air campaign had left Iraq's infrastructure in ruins, and allied forces claims of crippling Iraqi armour painted a bleak picture for Saddam's forces. Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary-General of the OAU, recounts the agonising wait in his notes.

The US ultimatum to Saddam Hussein demanding Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait had expired, and the world braced for a ground war.

Salim had spent the night glued to the radio, the silence broken only by the tick-tock of the clock. News reports hinted at an imminent assault, but dawn arrived without a ground offensive.

Finally, by mid-m...