The Civil War Projects

The Biafran Genocide by Obinna Udenwe

"The Nigerian-Biafran war ended in 1970. After the war, the Nigerian army while retreating passed through my community (Edda) -- and to their surprise, the war hadn't really affected the community: homes were still intact, men were alive and walking about etc., so they got angry. They informed our people that as the war was over and Nigeria had won, it was a requirement that every community they passed through gather at one arena to say farewell to them and raise their hands in surrender and solidarity.
They ordered that every grown man must be present at the designated arena.

Our people, a conquered people, devastated and weak had no option for soldiers had warned that if any grown man was found wandering about or at his home, he was dead. That day, all grown men from Edda community gathered at this place - a large expanse of land at Okaria-echi Edda village. The Nigerian soldiers asked these men numbering hundreds to raise their hands in the air and shout 'One Nigeria'. They all did. Then the Nigerian soldiers opened fire and killed the men - almost all of them. Only a few were able to escape. Nkwegu Nkwuda from my own village survived but a bullet slashed through his mouth and the scar is a testament to the ordeal they passed through on that day. He told me that blood from those close by covered him, he ceased his breath and they thought he was dead. The immediate elder brother to Nnanna Oketa 's father (my uncle) lost his life on that day. The soldiers walked about, killing those still breathing. Until recently, the site of this killings remained a haunted ground -- any family that moved to live on the land saw ghosts wandering about and would move out in a matter of weeks. The site is now the location of my parish - Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Okaria-echi Edda.

So when people argue that what happened between 1967 - 1970 wasn't a genocide, I shake my head. Mostly, folks that have this opinion never studied anything about the war and hasn't read a single book on the war. Between May 29, 1966 to October 1966, the anti-Igbo pogrom happened in Lagos and in northern Nigeria -- over 5,000 Igbos were massacred in their sleep, shops, airports, bus parks and on the streets. When the war was fought between 1967 - 1970 over 100, 000 Igbo soldiers were killed, and over 2 million civilians including women and children killed by bullets and from starvation. It's estimated that over 4.5 million people were displaced.

So today, we Igbos commemorate the declaration of Biafra and we remember all our brothers and sisters who lost their lives during the genocide and many others who have lost their lives from then till now. I am a Nigerian, I don't support secession but it's an insult to say that Igbos are stupid or foolish for asking for independence or for demanding that the memory of their brothers and sisters be honoured -- to argue this is to deny our humanity and sense of honour.

So today, all over the Igbo states, helicopters are flying about and police/soldiers patroll the streets on a show of force. Past experiences haven't thought our security agencies the need to ignore IPOB or MASSOB members on a day like this. When they gather to have their protest and you tear-gas or arrest or shoot at them, you make them feel relevant, they fight back and it escalates to riots and killings. If they are ignored and allowed to express themselves in a peaceful protest and movement, after a few hours they would retire to their homes, exhausted and tired.

So as we mark the remembrance of our fallen brothers and sisters, I hope the Igbos all over the world endeavour to learn about our history, teach their children and wards, and that the Nigerian government learn to be tolerant and mature. I hope that other Nigerians learn to respect the right of the Igbos to grieve and mourn without adding salt to our injury."

The concept of humanitarian intervention originates at a specific time and place, as is explained Brian McNeil.

Brian McNeil specializes in history of United States foreign relations, and is currently revising his book manuscript titled, Frontiers of Need: the Nigerian Civil War and the Origins of American Humanitarian Intervention, which is the subject of this podcast via 15 Minute History for The University of Texas at Austin.

- Episode 87: Nigeria’s Civil War & The Origins of American Humanitarian Interventions

http://15minutehistory.org/2016/09/27/episode-87-nigerias-civil-war-the-origins-of-american-humanitarian-interventions/

Episode 87: Nigeria’s Civil War & The Origins of American Humanitarian Interventions | 15 Minute History Episode 87: Nigeria’s Civil War & The Origins of American Humanitarian Interventions Posted on September 27, 2016 by Christopher Rose Host: Samantha Rose Rubino, UT School of Law Guest: Brian McNeil, Fellow, Institute for Historical Studies, UT-Austin Humanitarian intervention has become such an acc...

In tipping our hats to heroes, compatriots past, present and future and in remembering and revisiting history, here are pictures of the region from early colonial times, pre-independence and post-independence.
- An independent country: Nigeria through the years in photos

http://thatigbogirl.com/2016/10/03/nigeria-independence-photos/

An independent country: Nigeria through the years in photos - THAT IGBO GIRL In tipping our hats to heroes, compatriots past, present and future and in remembering and revisiting history, here are pictures of the region from early colonial times, pre-independence and post-independence

Nigerian essayist, novelist and political columnist, Okey Ndibe; and author of the critically acclaimed novels Arrow of Rain and Foreign Gods, Inc. reminisces on his experience of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war.

My Biafran Eyes What Nigerian writer, Okey Ndibe, sees when he recalls the Biafran War.