The organ of the UN that served as custodial of some African countries prior to their independence is _________?

Analyze the question: The question asks which UN organ acted as a "custodian" (a guardian or overseer) of some African territories before they became independent.

Explain the concept: When the UN was founded in 1945, it set up the International Trusteeship System to supervise territories that were not yet self-governing. These were mostly former League of Nations mandates and colonies taken from countries defeated in World War II. The Trusteeship Council was the UN organ responsible for supervising these Trust Territories. Its job was to prepare them for self-government or independence.

Step-by-step solution:

1. International Court of Justice (A): This is the main judicial organ of the UN. It settles legal disputes between states, so it has no role in guarding territories.
2. Security Council (B): This organ maintains international peace and security. It does not administer territories.
3. Trusteeship Council (C): This organ supervised Trust Territories until they achieved independence. African examples include: • Togoland (British and French), where British Togoland joined Ghana in 1957 and French Togoland became independent in 1960 • Cameroons (British and French), where French Cameroun became independent in 1960 and Southern Cameroons joined Cameroon in 1961 (Northern Cameroons joined Nigeria in 1961) • Tanganyika, Rwanda-Urundi and Somaliland under Italian administration
4. General Assembly (D): This is the main deliberative body of the UN. It debates and recommends, but it is not the custodian of territories.

Answer: The Trusteeship Council fits the description exactly, so the correct option is C.

Exam tip: Link the words "custodian / trust / guardian of territories" to the Trusteeship Council. Also note that the Council suspended operations in 1994 after Palau, the last Trust Territory, became independent. Questions about it often come up in Government papers.