ACM10:

My dear, it's better to fight and secure a honourable peace than to play coward in the face of grave danger that threatened to wipe off you people

This is why I commented earlier that your are ignorant as far as this topic is concerned. Do you know that there was skirmishes at the border towns which was initiated by the Nigerian troops? The skirmishes displaced many easterners and forced them to flee to eastern heartlands.

You are beginning to sound monotonous. Seems like you are bereft of ideas.

ekt_bear: So I take it you won't answer questions (a) and (b).

Nor will you provide a quote from the Geneva convention condemning blockades in civil wars, I take it.

Anyone else who can answer (a) or (b), or show where blockades are banned, feel free to do so.

Ikengawo:

have you ever considered it's because the yoruba have no leaders? just politicians that will do anything for power and once they get thier their 'people' call them leaders despite the fact that they've done nothing but manipulate them and steal from them? (Obasanjo, Tinubu, MKO)
eitehr way you're wrong.


here are articles of Wole Soyinka, who supported Biafra btw, doing exactly what you said he wouldn't.

ACM10:
Blockade is an acceptable means of prosecuting a war. It prevents arms and ammunitions from reaching your opponents.

But deliberate policy of starvation is a war crime.

Preventing food, medicine and relief materials from getting to the civilians is condemned all over the world. So differentiate blockade from the deliberate policy of starvation as a means to win the war.

re@lchange:
achebe has spoken and we know he spoke the truth
all the yaribas can keep kidding themselves

ekt_bear:
Ah, but let us first establish that this threat existed.

So in short, Ojukwu seceded because even prior to secession, Gowon was skirmishing with Ojukwu's forces and/or killing innocent civilians. Possibly even genociding them, according to realchange.

So, Ojukwu's secession was a direct response to enemy soldiers sitting right on his border and already invading.

Is this your version of what happened, and why he secceeded? Yes, or no?

My typical strategy for dealing with slow individuals is to repeat the same idea using different, simpler words, in the hope that they will understand.

Preventing food, medicine and relief materials from getting to the civilians is condemned all over the world. So differentiate blockade from the deliberate policy of starvation as a means to win the war.

ACM10:

Blockade is an acceptable means of prosecuting a war. It prevents arms and ammunitions from reaching your opponents. But deliberate policy of starvation is a war crime. Preventing food, medicine and relief materials from getting to the civilians is condemned all over the world. So differentiate blockade from the deliberate policy of starvation as a means to win the war.

ekt_bear:
Agreed. But, given that the same ships/planes/etc that carry weapons can also carry food, it seems that 95%+ of blockades in history must also have prevented food from entering, yes?

You said "war crime." So presumably you mean according to some sort of UN conventions. Which one, specifically?

Is a general blockade the same as a starvation policy? Again, how does one implement a blockade while letting food through?

ekt_bear:

How does one ensure that this food, medicine, etc will go to civilians, rather than military?

Have Ojukwu promise, and simply take him at his word?

ACM10:

Those ships and aircraft are searched before the are allowed to proceed to the enemies territory. Preventing relief materials, food and drugs after thorough search was a deliberate policy.

I've told you already that you boring me with your dullness. How on earth would you expect me to memorize the exact international convention which outlawed starvation as a weapon of war?

Sorry can you elaborate on the term "general blockade"? This is serious!

ekt_bear:

How does one ensure that this food, medicine, etc will go to civilians, rather than military?

Have Ojukwu promise, and simply take him at his word?

ekt_bear: Well, the books I have read make no mention of invasion and genocide of Eastern border towns prior to the declaration of independence.

My suspicion is that you and realchange simply are mistaken.

CyberG:
Ekt...are you asking rhetorical questions

Aigbofa: That man was one of the greatest men in Nigeria. You drove him to become a rabid tribalist; and now he shall be treated like Mekushitty.

Apparently our own version of J.K Rowling was a closet tribalist all this while.

ACM10:
This can be easily worked out between the aid agency and the side that placed the blockade. There are some areas that were mapped out as "no fire" zone where civilians can come, be identified and receive food, medicine and relief materials. Though the process aint perfect. Some eventually ends up in the hands of the fighters. But this is not enough reason to starve civilians

Can you list 5 books on this topic that you've read so far?

ekt_bear:
Gowon offered this option, but Ojukwu refused to agree to this policy, claiming that Nigeria would somehow sabatoge said food. I'll see if I can find a citation for this.

I would expect a man as non-dull as you to do the legwork and back up your claim with facts (i.e. a quote), so we can verify that you are interpreting the law correctly. Do you not get my point?

I.e., a blockade of everything. Nothing allowed to come in and out. If one does such, is this the same as a starvation policy?

ekt_bear: He seems pretty biased to me. How does he turn "it is my impression" into "his ambition drove him into a frenzy?"

Is this guy an acclaimed author, or a market woman?

Anyway, Nigeria simply was under no obligation to permit food to enter Biafra. Blockades have happened in the past, and no doubt will occur again in the future. Starving your enemy of critical resources (in this case food) is part and parcel of war.

The end result in loss of human life was quite regrettable. But could have been avoided if both sides simply had decided to find a peaceful solution rather than war.

ACM10:
It's ok to justify your position, but it's unfair to justify it with false assumption. Does Gowon need Ojukwu's permission before searching any shipment to Biafra? Gowon already controls the entry point, so the argument of "permision" is plain ludicrous, if not silly.

Are you really serious? How many international conventions can you recite?

How was the blockade of everything different from deliberate policy of starvation?

ekt_bear:
Indeed, the process "ain't perfect", as you say. Now, how does one ensure that 90%+ of the material doesn't end up in the hand of military? What prevents this from happening?

I haven't read 5 books. The primary resource I used was the John de St. Jorre book.

whitecat007: He is a market woman o jare! gradually the rest of Nigeria is seeing them as hardcore tribalist they really are. Is it his book he bullied some and begged some to buy to help them bounce back quickly from the devastation of the civil war in some schools in west Africa? and up till now his lobbyist are still on their kneels begging the Noble society for a price, in which another group took it upon themselves to give him consolation price(Booker) The Noble society knew he's a rabble rouser reason they looked the way of a real giant(Wole Soyinka)

ekt_bear:
They aren't rhetorical...I basically want these guys to commit to certain positions so that we can follow the logical implications. Notice how I did this earlier with afam4eva.

If you don't do this, then they'll weasel out and hold fast to their preconceived notions. My approach forces them to face the contradictions.

van bonattel:

Have you ever read his books, or are you like the normal educated illiterate Nigerian who will refuse to give credit only on the basis of the authors tribe?

Aigbofa: Ibos are like a gambler who lost all his money in a casino and then try to blame everybody from the cashier who gave him the money to the taxi driver who took him there. Anybody but himself.

ekt_bear:
They aren't rhetorical...I basically want these guys to commit to certain positions so that we can follow the logical implications. Notice how I did this earlier with afam4eva.

If you don't do this, then they'll weasel out and hold fast to their preconceived notions. My approach forces them to face the contradictions.

ekt_bear:
I will even find a quote justifying this when I get home and have my civil books handy. Don't worry.

If one claims that X is illegal, shouldn't you at least know what the law says about X? I.e., which law discusses X? Otherwise, why should I believe you?

CyberG:

His obviously tribalistic stance is one of the reasons some of the few people who have bought or read his book will neither buy nor read another one. In fact, they'd just put it through the shredder. There's no big deal about Achebe for he is just another teacher, a professor - a JOB! That is something several millions of people do today and there's nothing special about it. His views are merely pedestrian; like the typical iboz, blame everyone else but not himself the loser. So somehow, the other guys are always the bad guy and you have never done anything wrong! SMH

Antivirus92: you've just spoken according to the capacity of ur brain. He hid in the bush for 4 hours before leaving? Is that what awolowo told you? . He moved on a helicopter to abidjan, who and who planned for the helicopter? Do u think he can do it alone or did awolowo told u that he travelled to ivory coast on foot?

General efiong informed me that THE meeting had been arranged for 2100 hours on the 5th of january, 1970.
Contrary to my expectations the HOS had invited 40 army officers and only 5 civilians for what appeared to be a
military seminar rather than a serious meeting to discuss the fate of millions of people. With such a big crowd, many people were unlikely to talk frankly for fear of subsequent public reaction, i.e saboteur.
The HOS insisted that everybody present should speak but not for more than 5mins. Those limitations not withstanding,
everyone that spoke said in effect that the war should be called off unless we were sure of a definate miracle in our favour very soon. Ojukwu summarised by stressing that the war must continue to the last man, and for as long as he was alive

In order to convince those present that he meant to fight on, General Ojukwu read out his plans for the complete reorganisation of the army and for future offensives. He revealed his plans to move 4000 armed men into the midwestern Nigeria under col. Achuzia for an offernsive to overrun that region. As the army commander,i knew that such a plan was sheer fantasy in biafra, at a time when it was almost impossible to raise 200men in a month not to talk of weapons

Page 371
I have just returned from the war front on the 9th of january when Gen. Efiong came in to see me at 1600 hours. He informed
me that Ojukwu would like to see me at his home town, Nnewi. General Ojukwu's house at Nnewi was full of luggages piled high both inside and outside and there was a huge crowd of relatives and friends. Ojukwu told me in the presence of Gen. Efiong that the biafran cabinent had taken a decision to send a "peace mission" abroad the following day, the 10th of january, 1970.But barely 5 days earlier, ojukwu insisted that they should fight till the last man and for as long as he is alive and in ivory coast !!!


According to ojukwu, the mission which include Dr. M.I Okpara, the political adviser: Mr. N.U Akpan, the chief sec. to the govt. and myself would be led by him personally. The "peace mission" ojukwu added would be away for 5-7days and as such only a suitcase was required by each member of the mission.
The 10th of january was very chaotic with the enemies pushing in all directions from owerri. By 1400 hours, he had got to Amaraka on the okigwe road, only 4miles from army tactical h/q at Isu. As Isu and Nkwerre began to evacuate, i moved down to Nnewi to see ojukwu once more and brief him on the situation. At last, and for the first time during the war, he appeared terrified. ( when his morraphocking miserable life was in jeopardy- my input


He wandered if we had not left our departure rather too late and if we would still make it. He advised me to come to the airport with my full escorts because he had been reliably informed that certain people were planning to stop us leaving Biafra. For that reason, I went to the airport with more escorts than i have ever used throughout the war. At that stage, I was no longer sure of our "peace mission": my doubts had been confirmed and I realised we were escaping from Biafra

By 2000 hours, the threat to Uli airport was such that no onewas sure if it could be used again. While alternative arrangements were being made for a possible use of Uga a/port, the Biafran Air force confirmed that Uli could still be used.
As a precautioanry measure, Gen. Ojukwu travelled incognito in a peugeot 403 car to the a/port while someone else who could pass for him in darkness travelled in his official car. Ojukwu's peugeot was parked in a nearby jungle for over 5 hours until the plane was ready to take off at 0300 hours on the 11th of January, 1970.