Just In: Tanzania President, Others Declare Support For Biafra Movement
President Julius Kambarage Nyerere of Tanzania, Mwalimu (Great Teacher) Nyerere was the First African Head of State to recognise Biafra. Nyerere’s famous Arusha Declaration inspired Biafra’s Ahiara Declaration.
Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia was next, Omar Bongo of Gabon, Houphouet-Boigny of then Ivory Coast.
Dr Francois Duvalier of Haiti and several other Caribbean nations where descendants of former Igbo slaves lived all gave their recognition to the beleaguered young state.
Other countries which did not state official recognition, but provided support and assistance to Biafra include France, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Norway Rhodesia, South Africa, and Vatican City.
President Charles de Gaulle referred to “Biafra’s just and noble cause.” However, France did not recognise Biafra diplomatically. There have been arguments about the real motive behind the help offered by France. BUT! They did help us.
China – Because the Soviet Union was one of Nigeria’s leading supporters, supplying arms on a generous scale, China declared its support for Biafra.
In its first major statement on the war in September 1968, the New China Press Agency stated the People’s Republic of China fully supported the justified struggle for liberation of the people of Biafra against the Nigerian government supported by “Anglo-American imperialism and Soviet revisionism.”
China supported arms to Biafra via Tanzania, supplying arms worth some $2 million dollars in 1968-1969.
And Israel, the Eastern Region began seeking assistance from Israel in September 1966 but was turned down, although they may have put the Biafran representatives in contact with an arms dealer.
Due to the intervention of activists, In August 1968, the Israeli Air Force overtly sent twelve tons of food aid to a nearby site outside of Nigerian (Biafran) air space. Covertly, Mossad provided Biafra with $100,000 (through Zurich) and attempted an arms shipment.
Shortly afterwards, Israel arranged to make clandestine weapons shipments to Biafra using Côte d’Ivoire transport planes.
We owe the next generations this story. The story of a people who were buried but unknown to their assailants were seeds.
This is the story of survival, of resurrection, of rising, and of thriving. We owe them the story of the resilience of a people – our people.
May the souls of the 2 million children, who were starved to deaths and 1 million adults (unarmed civilians and 100,000 combatant soldiers) whose lives were snuffed out in their prime, continue to rest in peace. Biafra is the African Seed of Greatness, give us Biafra and Watch Africa thrive on all front.
