Prime Minister Tony Blair has famously described Africa as a ‘scar on the conscience of the world’, drawing attention to the UK’s moral and humanitarian obligations towards the continent. This article argues that New Labour’s increasing attention to Africa is best understood in the context of an ongoing ‘securitisation’ of the continent, which received added impetus following the events of September 11, 2001. Through this securitisation, interactions and dealings with Africa are gradually shifting from the category of ‘development/ humanitarianism’ towards a category of ‘risk/fear/threat’, so that today the continent is increasingly mentioned in the context of the ‘war on terrorism’. While the main responses to Africa’s problems are still drawn predominantly from traditional development policies, there are subtle, yet significant changes in New Labour’s policies and practices that may have significant future implications for Africa and its peoples.
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