It has become necessary to clarify why Bruce Mayrock died. Bruce Mayrock is the young man who set himself alight in front of the UN building in New York in the late 1960's. He later died from his injuries. A lot of people dont seem to understand why he did this. Some people say he died for Biafra, others say he died for Ojukwu

Bruce Mayrock did not die for Biafra or Ojukwu, in fact, he had no interest in who won or lost the Biafran war. What mattered to Bruce Mayrock was the starving children in Biafra who were dying in huge numbers due to the blockade effected by the Nigerian Government and Britain.

As the Biafran war raged in the late 60's, pictures and stories of little children starving to death due to malnutrition and lack of medication started to reach the outside world. Bruce Mayrock was highly disturbed that the world stood by while Nigeria and Britain enforced a blockade of Biafra that was leading to unnecessary deaths of thousands of children. Bruce Mayrock's main gripe was that starvation should never be used as a weapon of war. So Bruce Mayrock went to the UN building and set himself alight to draw the attention of the world to the children who were dying in Biafra due to the blockade.

Bruce Mayrocks death galvanised the international community into action. Donor agencies raised money for relief supplies and even paid to fly them into Biafra under the cover of darkness. The increase in the supply of relief materials to Biafra saved many lives

As a result of Mayrock's death, many more Biafran kids who would have been starved to death by Nigeria, were saved. Another consequence of Mayrock's death was that the UN started started to look into the issue of using starvation as a weapon of war and it culminated in a resolution that outlawed it. Today, using starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime.

Mayrocks death was not for nothing, his death saved many Biafran lives and ensured that a law was passed that would save many more lives all over the world.

RIP Bruce Mayrock

You were not just a hero of Biafra, you were a hero of the world.

Wow.

God bless him.

I'm naming my first son after him.

Badbellerism