By the time the above headline appeared in the British Guardian newspaper, the crucial oil city of Port Harcourt had been in Nigerian federal force’s hands for about 10 days, since its capture from the Biafrans. As has been shown in earlier post on this site, the loss of this great city by Biafra, was enormous, it increased the Nigerian bargaining power in the ensuing peace talks, because they became more adamant and unshifting in their positions and, for the Biafrans their diplomatic odds started to wane.
This article, was after the Kampala peace conference in Uganda, 5 days earlier, had ended with no concessions or resolutions, because the Nigerians insisted on the Biafran renounsing seccession and, recognition of the 12- state structure of Nigeria, as a pre-condition. This the Biafrans refused to do and so the talks collapsed. The Biafrans having fought for so long despite the odds, felt that they might be in with a chance, albeit a slim one, their intransigence to the Nigerian position.
The Biafrans also felt, that the 12 state structure was threatning to future of the Igbos, who feared that access to sea and general trade will be affected inter alia, Nigeria said all these can be sorted via negotiable means once the Biafrans lay down their arms.
The British who were at these talks, were also under pressure and so were the Nigerians too, to try and find an end to the war quickly and ease the massive human suffering in Biafra. The British government were only just finding out that its diplomatic mission in Lagos, had been for long feeding it wrong information and advice about the war; and so believed that the war was always on the verge of being won by the Nigerians as peddled by its High Commission led by Sir David Hunt, when clearly as a year had passed, that wasn’t the case and that the Biafrans were even pushing the Nigerians, to a stalemate despite its huge losses in its major cities.
Our intentions are to keep bringing you articles on the Biafran war, no matter how big or small they are; no matter how sensational or non- sensational they are. As can be seen above, the attached piece is small, but it packs a punch in information – because reading it, reveals quite a lot about the thinking of both sides during the war and why the conflict dragged on costing so much lives etc. So over the course of time, we will be posting all sorts of materials for your perusal and education, please bear with us and enjoy this peace.
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