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Biafra Agitation: Any Justification
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The last hope for peace was squandered when Ojukwu and
Gowon interpreted the Aburi Accord differently despite the fact that it
was well documented. Ojukwu had already seen the unrelenting thirst for
the blood of the Easterners, and called the Eastern Nigerian community
leaders on May 26th , 1967, and detailed them on the situation. The
Consultative Assembly mandated him on May 27th, 1967, to declare Eastern
Nigeria at the earliest practicable date, a sovereign and independent
state with the Name ‘Republic of Biafra. Gowon’s swift reaction to this
was to abandon the Aburi Accord and create Nigeria into twelve states on
May 27, 1967. Ojukwu declared the republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967
and the Biafran war started on July 6, 1967.[18]
1.3 The Resultant War, Its Challenges and Responses.
As
secession was the only remaining alternative for self-defence, the
Easterners wrongly believed that the world having seen how greatly they
had been treated unjustly, would not support any attack on them by the
Nigerian government. But this was not to be true for international
politics is a game of gain and not of conscience. Moreover, some of the
so-called powers had all these while been collaborating with the
Nigerian government that immediately the war broke out, they threw their
weight behind Gowon. Britain was actively supporting Nigeria while
America, though claimed neutral, did not recognize Biafra. Most of the
jets used by the Nigerian troops were Russian jets. Even though these
people posed as their reasons that secession was illegitimate, it was
all for selfish motives. Muslim African countries like Egypt pitched
their tent with the Nigerian government perhaps, on religious ground.
Thus Egyptian pilots were very active in Nigerian Air Force during the
war. The most outstanding European power on Biafran side was France and
Black African countries like Ivory Coast, Gabon, Zambia and Tanzania
recognized Biafra, but their total help was far from being sufficient.
Faced with extreme difficulties, the creative ingenuity of the Biafrans
shone out. Thus they could invent in the areas of Agriculture, armament
etc.
The nature of the war made Biafrans regard it as genocide,
because from every indication there were serious moves to exterminate
every human being on the Biafran side. The Russian jets were spreading
explosives every place indicative of human lives, like hospitals, market
places, schools, houses etc. The total blockade from foreign contact
and the starvation measure which took more lives than ammunition did,
were basically targeted on the civilians. There was equally an alleged
poisoning of food coming into Biafra by the Nigerian government.
This
war dragged on for thirty months and Biafrans unable to withstand the
pressures any longer, surrendered shortly after Ojukwu had left for
Ivory Coast. The total death estimate is about three million.
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