There has been a commendable worldwide criticism of the Myanmar military for its operation in the country’s southwest Rakhine region where the Rohingya people, predominantly Muslim, live. Nearly 400,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape the increasing violence.

In contrast, the world has remained unconscionably silent over the Nigeria genocidist military campaign in (occupied) Biafra where it has murdered 2,000 Biafrans since October 2015.

The Nigeria state, created by Britain, is headed by Hausa-Fulani/Islamists and its military engaged in the genocide in Biafra is led by a phalanx of senior Islamist operatives. In the past week alone, hundreds of Biafrans have been murdered in scorched-earth operations mounted by the Nigerians who have laid siege on all Biafran cities and towns (including especially Enuugwu, Onicha, Asaba, Oka, Aba, Orlu, Okigwe, Owere, Igwe Ocha, Abakeleke, Umuahia and Afaraukwu-Ibeku) in response to the Biafra freedom, restoration-of-independence movement. The Biafra freedom movement is totally peaceful. It is the most peaceful in Africa and one of the very few of its kind anywhere else in the South World.

World, stop Igbo genocide now

The world must now wake up from its inexcusable slumber over the Igbo genocide and condemn genocidist Nigeria unreservedly. This condemnation must also extend to Britain, the co-genocidist state in this crime right from its original launch date on 29 May 1966. Britain is the principal exporter of the array of weapons the Nigerian enforcers employ in their slaughter of the Igbo. In this case, it is indeed not without significance that the current phase of the genocide (beginning Sunday 10 September 2017) was mounted shortly after the July/August 2017 visits to Nigeria by Tony Blair (a former British prime minister) and Boris Johnson (current British foreign secretary).  

The world must at once stop the Igbo genocide and the occupation of Biafra and support the Biafra freedom movement’s programmed process of a referendum to determine the democratic choice of 50 million Biafrans. All those involved in this crime against humanity, the foundational genocide of post-(European) conquest Africa, must be arraigned and prosecuted forthwith in designated international courts. The genocidists murdered 3.1 million Igbo people, 25 per cent of the population during phases I-III of the crime, 29 May 1966-12 January 1970, and tens of thousands of additional Igbo during phase-IV which has been ongoing since its launch date on 13 January 1970.

The whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (constituted integrally in the Biafra freedom movement), and his parents, are presently unknown since the genocidists stormed his Afaraukwu-Ibeku (east Biafra) family home on Thursday 14 September 2017, murdering a yet undisclosed number of relatives and others therein.

* HERBERT EKWE-EKWE is visiting professor in the graduate programme of constitutional law at Universidade de Fortaleza, Brazil. He specialises on the state and on genocide and wars in Africa in the post-1966 epoch, beginning with the Igbo genocide, 29 May 1966-12 January 1970, the foundational and most gruesome genocide of post-(European)conquest Africa.

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