Proclivity to Genocide by Okoye Grace O.;

Author:Okoye, Grace O.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Taking its cue from Russia, Egypt also teamed to support Nigeria on which sentiment was recognized as being a factor, given the country’s principal leaders being fellow Muslims, whereas, not only were the Igbos Christians, they had also openly aligned their cause with Israel’s struggle for the creation of a homeland. Hence, internationally, the war had gone beyond being a civil war, with the great powers moving in, taking sides, and contributing arms, funding, and tactical support. The lines were thus, drawn along the interests of these collaborators, and as the study data reveal, none of the foreign power involvement with either side had been done purely in an altruistic sense (Garrison, 1968a).

Furthermore, there were intervention measures taken or explored toward resolving the conflict in this study phase, including appeals for mediation (Garrison, 1967c). The study data reveal, for instance, that the internationalization of the Nigeria-Biafra war stifled the chances of resolving the conflict by dialogue and/or any other form of mediation other than militarily; consequently the war became drawn out with a high toll and war casualties of over two million Biafrans, especially through starvation and civilian targeted killings (Emerson, 1970; Garrison, 1967h, 1968a). Foreign involvement tilted the balance both diplomatically and militarily against Biafra, with the prospects for a cease-fire dim. Thus, Ojukwu, in an interview on peace prospects, indicated that unconditional talks and a cease-fire would be welcomed by Biafra at any time, but he observed, however, that the key or road to peace lay with London rather than Lagos, on the premise that the moment Britain stopped its supply of arms to Lagos, peace talks would begin (Garrison, 1968a). More so, in a parliamentary exchange between the then British Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Mr. Thomas, and that of Labor, Mr. Barnes was questioned on whether the government was allowing the shipments of arms because it hoped to see the war end quickly, or that it might instead drag the conflict for a long time, in which case the best line of action would be for Britain to regain its neutrality. Mr. Thomas, in response, affirmed that they wanted a speedy end to the war, the cause of which, they did not contemplate would be advanced by stopping their supply of arms to Lagos (Garrison, 1968a).

A further analysis of this development and its root causes in the study data observe the conflict as having become profoundly internationalized, with peaceful solution depending on what London, Washington, and Moscow would do, as well as the combatants on their own. Further analyzing the issue to determine what did go wrong, as well as the reason for sudden foreign intervention, the answer is rooted in the West’s simple failure in its expectations for Nigeria. Britain and the United States saw the makings of greatness in the independent Nigeria as the most powerful, most populous, most democratic nation in Africa, with the expectation of the country becoming a Western showcase that would serve as a bastion for non-communism, that would also

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