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Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence - Politics - Nairaland

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Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Curious345: 4:59pm On Sep 19, 2023
Violence against Ibos occurred in phases. Significant “group-targeted” violence began as early as 1945, but the major and sustained phases began in 1966. About 30,000 Ibos, mostly civilians, were killed in three waves of genocidal attacks between May 29 and September 29, 1966.

The killings were indiscriminate except that victims were Ibos, and they were killed for being Ibos. The killings were not outcomes of mob actions or riots. Evidence from survivors, victims and observers of the genocides prove that the various acts of violence against the Igbos were deliberated and coordinated by highly placed northern politicians with the connivance of some officers of the federal government.

The instigation for violence against Ibos in 1966 derived from various incitements by government functionaries who complained bitterly about Ibo dominance of commerce in the north. This complaint was extended to mean the existence of an Igbo conspiracy to become the new rulers of independent Nigeria.

The pattern of violence during the pogroms (May 29, July 29 and September 29, 1966) was similar to the attack against the Ibos during the civil war that would last for more than 3 years, between July 1967 and January 1970. Although official hostilities were declared between the federal and Biafran side, the conduct of the war by the federal troops in some instances offended the laws of war and invoked images of the pre-war violence against the Ibo. Even when Biafran strongholds were overrun by the federal side and there were no effective resistances, the genocidal dimensions of the war continued to manifest. Several foreign and local journalists reported cruel attacks on Ibos who were neither belligerents or in the way of battle.

There are many documented testimonies of victims and observers about the gross cruelty and barbarism of the Nigerian soldiers meted on Igbos civilians even after the surrender of Biafran rebel soldiers, acts that raised the question of a genocidal motivation. At least that was the conclusion of the Investigators of the International Commission of Jurists led by Dr. Mensah of Ghana. According to Dr. Mensah he received evidence from two witnesses about mass graves where dead, sick and wounded Biafrans were buried alive with some sucklings and “the cries and wailing of the sick, the wounded and the babies could be heard from a long distance away.” In this testimony, it was also mentioned that, when these mass graves had been covered, the Federal soldiers danced native war dances over them. Dr Mensa concluded that “I am of the opinion that in many of these cases cited to me hatred of the Biafrans (mainly Igbos) and a wish to exterminate them was a foremost motivational factor.”3

There is no doubt from the evidence of international and local observers of the pogroms of 1966 and the three year civil war that Biafran civilians, especially Ibos, were victims of gross cruelty reminiscent of the Jewish genocide. There is sufficient evidence that the masterminds of these attacks were motivated, as Dr. Mensah put it in the ICJ Report, by a “wish to exterminate” the Ibos. But how does this motivation square up with the policy and politics of the war? Is it really the fact that other ethnic groups, especially the Hausa-Fulani in northern Nigeria, wanted the Ibos completely wiped out or driven out of Nigeria?

The difficulty in understanding the genocidal behavior derives mainly from the nature of the civil war: how to reconcile the genocidal intent with the determination to keep Biafrans in Nigeria? It will appear that rather than other Nigerian ethnic groups wanting the Igbo outside the federation, they wanted them inside. Given that genocide usually involves determination to drive the victimized ethnic or religious group out of the territorial space, how do we understand the sort of genocide that wants the victims inside rather than outside?

However, based on official statements, we can give the benefit of doubt to Gowon and conclude that in spite of brutality and violence against civilians, acts that contravened the Geneva Conventions, the policy for taking arms against Biafra was to crush Ojukwu’s rebellion and maintain the federation.

But this conclusion has to explain such egregious violence against ordinary Ibos and statements by Nigeria war commanders like Benjamin Adekunle, a.k.a. “Black Scorpion,” that “I want to see no Red Cross, no Caritas, no World Council of Churches, no Pope, no missionary and no UN delegation. I want to prevent even one Ibo from having even one piece to eat before their capitulation. We shoot at everything that moves and when our troops march into the center of Ibo territory, we shoot at everything even at things that do not move…”9 Is such statement part of the conduct of a dirty war or does it evince a “motivation” to genocide? At a minimum, we can argue that there was strong hatred and demonization of the Ibos, which made such cruelty and gory killing of civilians conceivable and tolerable, even in the context of a civil war.

2 Likes

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Acekidc4(m): 5:00pm On Sep 19, 2023
What of the Killing you People are doing to yourselves Nko 🤔🤔
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Arda1000(m): 5:01pm On Sep 19, 2023
Make dem try Baifrans again na

1 Like

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by naija4life247: 5:02pm On Sep 19, 2023
If you start another senseless war again, what you will get this time will be total massacre and wipe out.

Were you people expecting hugs and kisses after declaring war against the Federal Republic? Well, Yoruba Demons in Military uniform gave hugs, kisses, and dicks to your women, ladies, and girls

7 Likes

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Davicl: 5:04pm On Sep 19, 2023
naija4life247:
If you start another senseless war again, what you will get this time will be total massacre and wipe out

It's not really that hard to find an olodo on nairaland, i pity zoo army 🪖

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by ChiefJusticeFuc: 5:04pm On Sep 19, 2023
Lament harder.


But we all know that when we give you this your phantom Biafra nah una go beg to remain.


Abeg who get that meme of that girl cleaning her ears with cotton buds?

I wan use am for this lamentation thread.
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by ChiefJusticeFuc: 5:05pm On Sep 19, 2023
Davicl:


It's not really that hard to find an olodo on nairaland, i pity zoo army 🪖

Nah don return fully to Biafra quest.


Mumu
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Davicl: 5:10pm On Sep 19, 2023
ChiefJusticeFuc:


Nah don return fully to Biafra quest.


Mumu

grin idiat no time for online banter huh grin but don't also think you can't be picked from faceless forum too

1 Like

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by ChiefJusticeFuc: 5:13pm On Sep 19, 2023
Davicl:


grin idiat no time for online banter huh grin but don't also think you can't be picked from faceless forum too

Come and kill me
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by spinna: 6:01pm On Sep 19, 2023
"The instigation for violence against Ibos in 1966 derived from various incitements by government functionaries who complained bitterly about Ibo dominance of commerce in the north. This complaint was extended to mean the existence of an Igbo conspiracy to become the new rulers of independent Nigeria."

You conveniently left out the cold blooded murder of leaders and officers of other tribes by the igbos just 6 yrs into the creation of this country .. Yes igbo had dominance in govt and commerce..and it wasn't enough they planned in their secret meetings to do callous murder to others in order to achieve total dominance and the plan catastrophically backfired.

So no one just woke up and decided to start killing igbos, THEY are the ones that suddenly decided to start killing everyone because they wanted more power and dominance. It bit them in the ass of course and the rest is history

Youths and History students take note

1 Like

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by KGBKremlin: 6:18pm On Sep 19, 2023
Curious345:
Violence against Ibos occurred in phases. Significant “group-targeted” violence began as early as 1945, but the major and sustained phases began in 1966. About 30,000 Ibos, mostly civilians, were killed in three waves of genocidal attacks between May 29 and September 29, 1966.

The killings were indiscriminate except that victims were Ibos, and they were killed for being Ibos. The killings were not outcomes of mob actions or riots. Evidence from survivors, victims and observers of the genocides prove that the various acts of violence against the Igbos were deliberated and coordinated by highly placed northern politicians with the connivance of some officers of the federal government.

The instigation for violence against Ibos in 1966 derived from various incitements by government functionaries who complained bitterly about Ibo dominance of commerce in the north. This complaint was extended to mean the existence of an Igbo conspiracy to become the new rulers of independent Nigeria.

The pattern of violence during the pogroms (May 29, July 29 and September 29, 1966) was similar to the attack against the Ibos during the civil war that would last for more than 3 years, between July 1967 and January 1970. Although official hostilities were declared between the federal and Biafran side, the conduct of the war by the federal troops in some instances offended the laws of war and invoked images of the pre-war violence against the Ibo. Even when Biafran strongholds were overrun by the federal side and there were no effective resistances, the genocidal dimensions of the war continued to manifest. Several foreign and local journalists reported cruel attacks on Ibos who were neither belligerents or in the way of battle.

There are many documented testimonies of victims and observers about the gross cruelty and barbarism of the Nigerian soldiers meted on Igbos civilians even after the surrender of Biafran rebel soldiers, acts that raised the question of a genocidal motivation. At least that was the conclusion of the Investigators of the International Commission of Jurists led by Dr. Mensah of Ghana. According to Dr. Mensah he received evidence from two witnesses about mass graves where dead, sick and wounded Biafrans were buried alive with some sucklings and “the cries and wailing of the sick, the wounded and the babies could be heard from a long distance away.” In this testimony, it was also mentioned that, when these mass graves had been covered, the Federal soldiers danced native war dances over them. Dr Mensa concluded that “I am of the opinion that in many of these cases cited to me hatred of the Biafrans (mainly Igbos) and a wish to exterminate them was a foremost motivational factor.”3

There is no doubt from the evidence of international and local observers of the pogroms of 1966 and the three year civil war that Biafran civilians, especially Ibos, were victims of gross cruelty reminiscent of the Jewish genocide. There is sufficient evidence that the masterminds of these attacks were motivated, as Dr. Mensah put it in the ICJ Report, by a “wish to exterminate” the Ibos. But how does this motivation square up with the policy and politics of the war? Is it really the fact that other ethnic groups, especially the Hausa-Fulani in northern Nigeria, wanted the Ibos completely wiped out or driven out of Nigeria?

The difficulty in understanding the genocidal behavior derives mainly from the nature of the civil war: how to reconcile the genocidal intent with the determination to keep Biafrans in Nigeria? It will appear that rather than other Nigerian ethnic groups wanting the Igbo outside the federation, they wanted them inside. Given that genocide usually involves determination to drive the victimized ethnic or religious group out of the territorial space, how do we understand the sort of genocide that wants the victims inside rather than outside?

However, based on official statements, we can give the benefit of doubt to Gowon and conclude that in spite of brutality and violence against civilians, acts that contravened the Geneva Conventions, the policy for taking arms against Biafra was to crush Ojukwu’s rebellion and maintain the federation.

But this conclusion has to explain such egregious violence against ordinary Ibos and statements by Nigeria war commanders like Benjamin Adekunle, a.k.a. “Black Scorpion,” that “I want to see no Red Cross, no Caritas, no World Council of Churches, no Pope, no missionary and no UN delegation. I want to prevent even one Ibo from having even one piece to eat before their capitulation. We shoot at everything that moves and when our troops march into the center of Ibo territory, we shoot at everything even at things that do not move…”9 Is such statement part of the conduct of a dirty war or does it evince a “motivation” to genocide? At a minimum, we can argue that there was strong hatred and demonization of the Ibos, which made such cruelty and gory killing of civilians conceivable and tolerable, even in the context of a civil war.

The same thing you're in south Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Ethiopia, Pakistan etc later you cry out that they are killing your people.

1 Like

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by KGBKremlin: 6:20pm On Sep 19, 2023
naija4life247:
If you start another senseless war again, what you will get this time will be total massacre and wipe out.

Were you people expecting hugs and kisses after declaring war against the Federal Republic? Well, Yoruba Demons in Military uniform gave hugs, kisses, and dicks to your women, ladies, and girls

Those bandits in the north want Igbo to get Biafra, before they unleash south east, since they think they are powerful online
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Christistruth00: 6:21pm On Sep 19, 2023
cool
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by sultanofpigs: 6:28pm On Sep 19, 2023
Your death is as worthless as a RAT, that is crushed on the road by a car cool.


ChiefJusticeFuc:


Come and kill me
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by sultanofpigs: 6:31pm On Sep 19, 2023
How can Yoruba people that claim to LOVE Islam, be the only tribe on deathrow in Saudi Arabia? Do you know how many have been executed last Month? 8. Go and research.

Worthless tribe...spits cool


KGBKremlin:


The same thing you're in south Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Ethiopia, Pakistan etc later you cry out that they are killing your people.

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by sultanofpigs: 6:35pm On Sep 19, 2023
Yoruba man...

Ranting, huffing and puffing...can't masquerade your obvious fear. BIAFRA is sure and you freaks of nature can't stop it...spits



naija4life247:
If you start another senseless war again, what you will get this time will be total massacre and wipe out.

Were you people expecting hugs and kisses after declaring war against the Federal Republic? Well, Yoruba Demons in Military uniform gave hugs, kisses, and dicks to your women, ladies, and girls
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by demmie1: 6:43pm On Sep 19, 2023
Arda1000:
Make dem try Baifrans again na

Make biafra try kill nigerian leaders again na
Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by rinzaugustine: 6:49pm On Sep 19, 2023
The war was 100% igbos v Britain 🇬🇧

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Biafra War: The Pattern Of Violence by Danzysb(m): 8:01am On Sep 20, 2023
rinzaugustine:
The war was 100% igbos v Britain 🇬🇧
Exactly..
It was Biafra vs Britain,and Europe
Britain air raids, Britain war ships(blockade).
France, Gabon, mostly helped Biafra with Food aid and the rest.

1 Like

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