Overview

Almost half a century has passed since the Nigerian Civil War ended. But memories die hard, because a million or more people perished in that internecine struggle, the majority women and children, who were starved to death. Biafra's war was modern Africa's first extended conflict. It lasted almost three years and was based largely on ethnic, by inference, tribal grounds. It involved, on the one side, a largely Christian or animist southeastern quadrant of Nigeria which called itself Biafra, pitted militarily against the country's more populous and preponderant Islamic north. These divisions – almost always brutal – persist. Not a week goes by without reports coming in of Christian communities or individuals persecuted by Islamic zealots. It was also a conflict that saw significant Cold War involvement: the Soviets (and Britain) siding and supplying Federal Nigeria with weapons, aircraft and expertise and several Western states – Portugal, South Africa and France especially – providing clandestine help to the rebel state. For that reason alone, this book is an important contribution towards understanding Nigeria's ethnic divisions, which are no better today than they were then. Biafra was the first of a series of religious wars that threaten to engulf much of Africa. Similar conflicts have recently taken place in the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic, Senegal (Cassamance), both Congo Republics and elsewhere. As the war progressed, Biafra also attracted mercenary involvement, many of whom arriving from the Congo which had already seen much turmoil. Western pilots were hired by Lagos and they flew the first Soviet MiG-17 jet fighters to have played an active role in a 'Western' war. Al Venter spent time covering this struggle. He left the rebel enclave in December 1969, only weeks before it ended and claims the distinction of being the only foreign correspondent to have been rocketed by both sides: first by Biafra's tiny Swedish-built Minicon fighter planes while he was on a ship lying at anchor in Warri harbour and thereafter, by MiG jets flown by mercenaries.

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9781912174720

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... An easy and interesting read... The book is detailed in substance and makes judicious use of sources to supplement personal reflections... This book greatly enriches our knowledge of the Nigerian Civil War from the Biafran side... --Journal of Military History

Author Information

Al Venter is the author more than 50 titles, many linked to the modern wars of today. These include the war against al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al-Shabaab in Somalia, historical wars like Biafra, El Salvador, the Lebanese civil war and others, but most notably how both South Africa and Portugal fought their guerrilla struggles in Africa. He is a specialist in weapons of mass destruction: his latest title in this field is Nuclear Terror, to be followed by a book in conjunction with an internationally renowned Israeli scientist on chemical and biological warfare. Al Venter has published nine titles on the realm of the underwater, including free-diving with sharks and uncovering shipwrecks and their treasures.

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