summit of the Organisation of African Unity begins after a flurry of African diplomatic activity that has hammered out accords that diplomats hope will end two of the continent‘s bloodiest conflicts. But the security stakes are high for host president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has struck one deal to end a brutal civil war in Algeria but has so far not been able to persuade the radical Islamic GIA to lay down its arms. "The summit is a showcase for Algeria to show that things are back to normal. That Algeria is back on its feet and ready to assume its regional and international duties for peace and development," one senior Arab diplomat told Reuters. Seven years of violence and revenge have killed 100,000 people in Algeria, an oil- and gas-rich North African nation which won independence from France after a bitter war in 1962. Bouteflika, who won April elections boycotted by the opposition, has made peace with the armed wing of the outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) which says it was robbed of victory in 1992 elections scrapped by the army. Islamic guerrillas unleashed a reign of terror across the country, massacring men, women and children with an abandon that sent shock waves around the world. Rights groups also denounce extra-judicial government reprisals. Diplomats and foreign residents of Algiers say that security has improved a lot and will be especially tight for the summit. Names and places may vary but Africa‘s preoccupations change little from year to year. Wars and natural disasters vie with dreams of economic growth and development for attention. This year the unresolved war between Ethiopia and Eritrea and Angola‘s slide back into civil war are likely to feature. A sustained diplomatic push by neighbours of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in a truce deal in that 11-month-old conflict, which at its height sucked in troops from Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Chad. Zambian President Frederick Chiluba announced on Thursday that African heads of state would converge on Lusaka on Saturday to sign the pact. Sierra Leone‘s warring parties signed peace on Wednesday. But in Somalia, fighting and poor rains have once again conjured up the spectre of famine. Many of Africa‘s top names are expected in Algiers.