On October 1, 1960, the nation of Nigeria was granted autonomy by Great Britain due to economic and political depletion after World War II. In the years prior to Nigerian independence, British imperialism placed roots, breaking the country into three regions. ‘The Northern area was home to the Fulani Tribe and were able to keep their feudal privileges. In the West, Yoruba rulers had power and prestige and in the Eastern region, the Igbo’s had interaction with missions and education.’ The Igbo people had benefited by British imperialism due to education and having the capability to live, a comfortable life, working as traders and public servants in Nigeria. They essentially had the most access to education during colonization. Once the British
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However, according to the Nigerian government, they were not going to allow Igbo succession from Nigeria. Chinua Achebe, author of There Was a Country gives the Nigerian argument for inciting a civil war between Nigeria and the newly formed Biafra: “Nigeria’s position on Biafra, as I understand it, was unhinged on the premise that if Biafra was allowed to secede then a number of other ethnic nationalities within Nigeria would follow suit. The Nigerian government, therefore, had to block Biafra’s secession to prevent the dissolution of Nigeria.” Therefore, the Nigerian-Biafra Civil War ignited throughout the region leaving Nigeria in disarray. However, war tactics of the Nigerian government have been called into question due to the negative implications that occurred to those living in Biafra. The purpose of this essay, is to answer the question, was the Nigerian blockade of Biafra an attempted genocide? In order to answer the question, examples from There Was a Country and the BBC documentary on the Nigerian-Biafra Civil War, to determine if the war tactics of Nigeria during the civil war meet the definition of …show more content…
However, I would also make the argument that the genocide had already began once the pogroms in June of 1966 occurred. The acts of genocide are present in three ways: 1) the Igbo people were a targeted ethnic group based upon their status in Nigeria; 2) women, men, and children were targeted in retaliation, for the January 1966 coup, that resulted in thirty thousand deaths, and hundreds of people who were wounded, raped, and suffered property destruction; 3) the economic blockade that was created by General Gowon to starve them into submission. During the blockade, millions of men, women, and children died due to Gowon preventing food, water, and humanitarian aid to assist those suffering in Biafra. Whether these acts were intentional the result remains the same. These people suffered due to what tribe they belonged to. They were not a threat. They were simply trying to make Nigeria the best nation in Africa. They wanted to escape the persecution and create their own peaceful nation. Through starvation of the Igbo, Gowon caused death, bodily and financial harm against them, deliberately. These war tactics were not for the purpose of keeping Nigeria united. In my opinion, Gowon was trying to keep economic opportunity in the region intact like the British had wanted when they tried to rig elections back in the
However, according to the Nigerian government, they were not going to allow Igbo succession from Nigeria. Chinua Achebe, author of There Was a Country gives the Nigerian argument for inciting a civil war between Nigeria and the newly formed Biafra: “Nigeria’s position on Biafra, as I understand it, was unhinged on the premise that if Biafra was allowed to secede then a number of other ethnic nationalities within Nigeria would follow suit. The Nigerian government, therefore, had to block Biafra’s secession to prevent the dissolution of Nigeria.” Therefore, the Nigerian-Biafra Civil War ignited throughout the region leaving Nigeria in disarray. However, war tactics of the Nigerian government have been called into question due to the negative implications that occurred to those living in Biafra. The purpose of this essay, is to answer the question, was the Nigerian blockade of Biafra an attempted genocide? In order to answer the question, examples from There Was a Country and the BBC documentary on the Nigerian-Biafra Civil War, to determine if the war tactics of Nigeria during the civil war meet the definition of …show more content…
However, I would also make the argument that the genocide had already began once the pogroms in June of 1966 occurred. The acts of genocide are present in three ways: 1) the Igbo people were a targeted ethnic group based upon their status in Nigeria; 2) women, men, and children were targeted in retaliation, for the January 1966 coup, that resulted in thirty thousand deaths, and hundreds of people who were wounded, raped, and suffered property destruction; 3) the economic blockade that was created by General Gowon to starve them into submission. During the blockade, millions of men, women, and children died due to Gowon preventing food, water, and humanitarian aid to assist those suffering in Biafra. Whether these acts were intentional the result remains the same. These people suffered due to what tribe they belonged to. They were not a threat. They were simply trying to make Nigeria the best nation in Africa. They wanted to escape the persecution and create their own peaceful nation. Through starvation of the Igbo, Gowon caused death, bodily and financial harm against them, deliberately. These war tactics were not for the purpose of keeping Nigeria united. In my opinion, Gowon was trying to keep economic opportunity in the region intact like the British had wanted when they tried to rig elections back in the