Since the end of the 1990s, Africa has been playing a growing role in finding solutions to the conflicts that are tearing the continent apart. To that end, Africa is increasingly participating in peace keeping operations, both on the diplomatic and military fronts, and South Africa and Nigeria are leading the effort. Their collaboration on C?te d'Ivoire may mean that the two most powerful countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have come together to cure Africa of its instability. However, a closer analysis shows that this alliance may run aground on the conflicting ambitions, strategic differences, and unequal capacities for intervention. To better assess these differences, the alliance's peace initiatives can only be considered within a wider multifaceted agenda of continental leadership, particularly in the case of South Africa.