1960, 8 August
Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld, UN secretary-general, instructs Belgium to withdraw its troops from the Congo.
1966, 8 August
Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon, leader of Nigeria's National Military Government, reinstates a federal government system. This supersedes the centralized control put in place by Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi following the military coup on 16 January 1966.
1977, 8 August
Qaafar Muhammad el-Nimeiry, President of the Republic of Sudan, announces a general amnesty for all political prisoners.
1988, 8 August
Twenty years of bush warfare between Angola and Namibia is to end following a cease-fire signed by Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. The withdrawal of 50,000 Cuban troops who were backing Angola's Marxist government is yet to be agreed.
