As We Go to Kampala. Speeches by His Excellency Lt.-Col. C. Odumegwu Ojukwu PDF
Preview As We Go to Kampala. Speeches by His Excellency Lt.-Col. C. Odumegwu Ojukwu
StanfordUniversity Libraries TANFORDLIBRARIES CONON 6105 120 786 038 Ojukwa, Chukwemeka Odumeguwu As we go to Kampala . JQ3099 B5A61 0317 R S O E F I N R T A Vilhi R A S B i n HOOVER INSTITUTION onWar, Revolution, and Peace FOUNDEDBY HERBERT HOOVER, 1919 GIFT OF PUBLISHER 1 “ ” 直 |+Ana * * * * * REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA AS WE GO TO KAMPALA SPEECHES by His Excellency Lt.-Col. C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, Head of State and Commander-in -Chief of the Armed Forces, Republic of Biafra MINISTRY OF INFORMATION , ENUGU gift of publisherл түү \ Aья 9 0 B 1 Statement by His Excellency Lt.-Colonel C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Republic of Biafra, on Sunday May 19, 1968. 1 FELLOW BIAFRANS, On Tuesday, 13th May, 1968, the Government and the people of Biafra heard with joy and profound thankfulness the announce ment of the decision of the Republic of Ivory Coast to accord diplomatic recognition to our young nation. The bold and humani tarian initiative taken by His Excellency, President Houphouet Boigny of the Ivory Coast, coming soon after ourrecognitionby the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Gabon showed that the case for Biafra's freedom is at long last being understood by African nations and the world at large. 1 Speaking about the war between Biafra and Nigeria,President Houphouet-Boigny expressed astonishment at the culpable indiffe rence of the world to the wanton massacre of which Biafra had been the theatre for more than ten months. “Unity, within an African stateand between African states”, said the illustrous President, “ is the ideal nursery in which African man attains his full development, but we.c admit, so far as we are concerned, that it should become his grave. We say 'yes' to unity in peace and through peace, unity in love and through brotherhood. We say 'no' to unity in war and through war, or unity in hatred”. The same noble and humanitarian concept of national unity also inspired Nwalimu Julius Nyerere, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and His Excellency Mr Albert Bongo, President of the Republic of Gabon. They said — “ The basis of statehood and of unity can only be general acceptance by the participants. There is no unity between the dead and those who kill them; and there is slavery on domination.” “Unity can only be realized in peace, fraternity and respect of the self-determination of the peoples.” These are the practical and humanitarian tests which have enabled statesmen throughout history to decide when the acceptance of a new state into the world community would lead to the allevia tion of human problems and when it would unwarrantably augment them . Applying these tests, recognition was recently accorded in our own African Continent to the nations which emerged out of the dissolutions of the Central African Federation, the United Arab Republic, and the union of Mali with Senegal. The point here is that the Biafra /Nigeria dispute cannot be settled by victories won in the battlefield. The breach occurred in the hearts and minds of men. Had the Lagos Government taken early initiative, that breach could have healed but the goodwill was lackingin Lagosand even now when peace is being mooted, Nigeria's intensification of the war indicates that that goodwill is still lacking. Lagos still desires war and the glory of conquest; and having un leashed among its armed forces a burning fever of tribal hatred and blood lust directed against Biafrans, offers to believe that these divisive atavistic influences would make Nigeria one. At the beginning of the Biafra /Nigeria war, the Lagos Govern ment brandished the banner of its sovereign integrity, using it to silence the world. Our sad story was then unknown except to a few witnesses. African opinion seemed united in unfriendlysilence. The military auguries predicted our imminent defeat. It seemed logi cal then that out of ignorance world powers should espouse Nigeria's unjust cause. But the scales are down now. Progressive African opinion has accepted that justice and humanity are on our side. For apart from those African countries who have accorded us recog nition, other countries have spoken up against the criminal folly of Nigeria's genocidal war, and against the imbecility of supposing that unity can be attained through violence. Leaders of religious and humanitarian opinion the world over have testified in our support and one European country, at least, has had the good graceofadmitting that she was wrong insupplying arms to Nigeria. Biafra's defeat is no longer taken for granted, and it is generally recognized that Biafrans will never, never yield to force no matter how many temporary victories they may concede to the Nigerian aggressor. Those are the circumstances in which, as a result of international pressures for which we are deeply grateful, resort is now being made belatedly to the Conference Table. We have agreed to meet the Nigerians in Kampala, Uganda, to explore avenues for a negotiated peace. But while these peaceful overtures are being tendered and accepted on both sides, Nigeria has intensified its bombing of civilian 2 centres. In the last week of April when Mr Okoi Arikpo, Nigeria's Commissioner for External Affairs, was in London talking about negotiated settlement, Nigerian war planes killed over 650 Biafran civilians mainly in the densely populated areas of Aba, Owerri, and Umuahia. While the preliminary talks were in progress in London the slaughter continued. • On the 3rd of May, Nigerian planes bombed and strafed Okigwi township and Orodo villagein Owerri, killing 36 and wounding 75. On the 6th of May, Asa in Ukwa Division was bombed twice killing 94 refugees in a C.M.S. Church school and wounding over 65. On the 7th of May, Nigerian air raid claimed 19 lives at Eleme near Port Harcourt and 5 on the Aba-Umuahia and Owerrinta Umuahia roads. On the 9th of May, raids at Umuomasi and Umukoroshe near Port Harcourt caused 87 deaths; and at Mbawsi and Okpala 65 were killed and about 140 injured. • On the 10th of May, a refugee camp at Ariam housing 3,000 dis placed persons was bombed and strafed by Nigerian war planes killing 77 and injuring over 200. On the same day at Amasiri near Afikpo 19 were killed and 43 wounded. • On the 11th of May, 27 died as a result of Nigerian bombing of a local market at Obehe near Aba; 4 were killed at Ibiono near Umuahia. • On the 12th of May, Nigerian planes visited Port Harcourt Shell Residential area and Elelenwa twice, killing over 120 and injuring more than 250. • On the 14th of May, Port Harcourt was raided thrice killing12 and seriously injuring 25. Owerrinta was also raided and strafed and 16 lives were lost. It is evident to the meanest intelligence that the Lagos Govern ment still means to subdue Biafra by force. That talk of peace is to them a tactical necessity, a perfidious move to arrest further recog nition of Biafra while talks about talks drag on and more lives are lost. It took Lagos 12 days from the opening of the preliminary meeting in London on the 4th May to the adjournment on May 15, to confirm its acceptance of Kampala as a venue for full-scale con ference. And while the Biafran delegation desired that the plenary sessions be convened 48 hours after the close of preliminary talks, Lagos insisted on an adjournment of almost two weeks. Meanwhile 3 Nigerian pressures on Port Harcourt mount and Col. Gowon hopes to capture what he imagines is “Biafra's only outlet to the outside world”. Questioned in the British House of Commons the other day aboutBritish military aid to Nigeria, Mr Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister gave a rather curious reply which could only be interpreted to mean that Britain was determined to continue such aid to Nigeria until her aims against us were accomplished. The fact can no longer be hidden that Gowon's criminal attack on the lives, the liberties and the homes of Biafrans is aided and abetted by Britain for her own selfish ends. Was not the brutal massacre of Biafrans in Northern Nigeria instigated by Britons? Was the invasion of Biafra not actively promoted by David Hunt and other British officers in Lagos? Even now Gowon is incapable of any independent Nigerian or African initiative. He has consis tently rejected African mediation in preference for Mr Arnold Smith. He demurred for two weeks before agreeing that an African capital is preferable to London as the venue for the peace conference. And even in Kampala he needs the re-assurance of a white chairman in preference to the Ugandan Head of State. Nigerian aggression against Biafra has throughout been managed and sus tained by Britain. Under such circumstances, one wonders if it would not have been more appropriate and honest for Biafra to sit down to negotiate face to face with Britain, rather than with her Nigerian stooges ! It must be understood that the war in which Britain and Nigeria are collaborating is an imperialistic war. For our own part, we go to the peace conference with absolute sincerity, believing that this wastefulwar cannot end in victory for either side. We do not desire victory over Nigeria, nor can Nigeria EVER defeat us. This basic truth must be accepted for negotiations to be fruitful, and once it is accepted, it becomes evident that nego tiations cannot proceed without agreement on a date fixed for a cease-fire. A fact that must never be overlooked is that there can be no peace so long as enemy troops remain anywhere in our territory. As I have often repeated, we are fighting this war not for conquest but for survival. Just as we do not want to be dominated, it is not our intention to dominate anyone. If there is any doubt as to the real wishes of people in the disputed areas, the government and 4
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