January 16, 1970, Page 12Buy Reprints
GENEVA, Jan. 15 (Reu ters)—Following is the text of a statement issued here today by Gen. Odumegwu Ojukwu through Marhpress, a public‐relations concern:
Three days ago I left the. Republic of Biafra with cer tain members of my Cabinet as a result of a decision taken by that Cabinet in the interest of our people's sur vival. Since my departure events have moved with such breathless speed that friends and foe alike have been left not only bewildered but con fused.
It is therefore necessary for me to address these words to the international press in order to keep the records right and in pursuit of the object of my leaving the Re public of Biafra.
It is necessary in order to understand events that have led to the drama of the past few days to look back at the origin of our conflict in this war. Biafra, once the. Eastern Region of Nigeria, was one of the three sovereignties that banded together to form the Federal Republic of Ni geria. Three of the reasons which made the sovereignties bind themselves together were:
¶Mutual protection of life and property—hence the fun damental human rights en trenched in our Constitution and the arrangements made for the joint control of the police.
¶Security against external and internal threats—hence the responsibility of the cen tral Government for defense.
¶The promotion of inter national trade and good rela tions with foreign countries— hence the assignment of ex clusive responsibility to the central Government.
‘Neither Will Nor Desire’
During the course of our first experiment in nation hood it was clear that the federal organization had neither the will nor the de sire to maintain that unity of purpose for which the federation was founded. In 1966 it became clear that the central authority was unable and unwilling to ful fill the terms for which it was established. Right under her ?? the people of Eastern Nigeria, now Biafrans, were subjected to such acts of barbarism, such atrocities that gave clear indication of a genodide that was to come.
The people of Biafra, in full consultation and believ ing that the only guarantee for security lay in the re sumption of their sovereign ty, mandated me to proclaim their territory the sovereign and Independent Republic of. Biafra and to take up arms if need be to protect the lives and property of our people and the independence thus proclaimed.
On July 6, 1967, the fed eral forces crossed the bound aries of Biafra and attacked her defenseless populace. Our people in the face of such aggression had no al ternative but to defend them selves as best as they could. The war that ensued has continued from that day with unabated fury until today, when we find that, because of certain limitations, we are no longer able to offer formal military resistance to the Nigerian aggressors.
For three years we have fought against overwhelming odds. Our conduct of the war has contrasted sharply with that of the Nigerian hordes. We were always aware of our limitation and therefore have never discontinued our efforts for peace and a ne gotiated settlement.
Deliberate Starving Alleged
We had relied on the con science of the world to re spect the rights of our people to self‐determination and security We have been frus trated by an international conspiracy against the inter est of the African. Yet, be lieving in the justice of our cause and the ultimate tri umph of truth over false hood, outnumbered and out gunned, we have grimly held back the unrelenting enemy for three grueling years with bare hands.
Nigeria began her recent final offensive against Biafra in October, 1969, after months of preparations, which included the starva tion of our entire populace to such subhuman level that the movement of enemy troops through our territory became a mere formality.
For months we cried to an unsympathetic world, point ing out the danger of a total blockade and siege warfare at this stage of world civil ization. In answer to that cry our people were further sub jected to more deprivation by the drastic reduction of re lief supplies not only to the menfolk but to our women and children, to the aged and and the very young, to the old and the infirm.
By the end of November the Biafran armed forces were no longer able to feed them selves; our civil populace were neither able to feed themselves nor the army. Yet for over 30 grim days our gallant and heroic forces maintained their positions in the sheer hope of a miracu lous respite.
In the first week of Janu ary, the Nigerian forces, by a fast military move, took con trol of the last areas from where we had any possibility of obtaining food. In quick succession demoralization set in, threatening national dis integration and bringing in its wake confusion and mass exodus.
I gathered together at Owerri during the night of 8 January, 1970, those mem bers of my Cabinet who could be contacted to review the situation. At that meeting I presented in firm and clear terms the grim hopelessness of continued formal military resistance.
I informed the Cabinet that my primary, duty in the cir cumstances was to seek the protection of our exhausted people and to save the lead ership of our heroic republic. I therefore offered to go out of Biafra myself in search of peace. I decided personally to lead any delegation in or der to give it maximum effect and to speed up matters in order to save the lives of our people and preserve the con cept of Biafra.
I did this knowing that whilst I live Biafra lives. If I am no more it would be only a matter of time for the noble concept to be swept into oblivion. I chose for the delegation the following per sons:
Dr. M. I. Okpara, my politi cal adviser.
Mr. N. U. Akpan, my chief secretary.
Maj. Gen. Madiebo, the commander of my army.
From all indications it is clear that Nigeria will not feed our people. They have said so often enough and their past records clearly un derline this fact. There is no food whatsoever in Biafra, and unless food can get into Biafran mouths in the next 72 hours it will be too late.
Nigeria's insistence to con trol the distribution of re lief is both to insure that Bi afrans get no such relief and also to shut out out siders who might witness and expose the enormous crimes she plans to commit against our people.
Nigeria throughout this war has distinguished her self for a lack of control over her armed forces. It is therefore most unlikely that, flushed with intoxication of an unexpected military vic tory, she will be able to ex ercise any measure of con trol on her forces now on the rampage.
In any case Nigeria's aim is to destroy the elite of Bia fra. The only possible way of preventing such a catas trophe is by interposing be tween the contesting forces some neutral force to prevent a genocide that would make 1939–45 Europe a mere child's play.
Only Chance for Peace
We have always believed in the futility of this war. We have always maintained that this war will solve no prob lems. If this carnage must stop Nigerian leaders and their friends must borrow a leaf from the lessons of the last world war, where it was found that a permanent set tlement could only emerge from an honorable peace. Im mediate efforts should there fore be directed toward early negotiations for peace with out exacting full tribute of conquest.
Only in this way can peace, which the whole world de sires, have any chance. therefore appeal to all gov ernments and international organizations, countries and churches of the world, men and women of goodwill, to both our friends and enemies, in the interest of hu manity to come forward to assist and protect the lives and talents of Biafra, to re lieve the starvation and wasteful death now the only companion of our exhausted people.
I implore the world to rise to this desperate need, to mount all possible pressures on Nigeria to insure that food gets to my people.
In the fluid and uncertain military circumstances the Cabinet considered it advisa ble and reasonable that fami lies of envoys in or going abroad should be sent out. My last hours in Biafra be fore my departure were spent in close consultation with Maj. Gen. Philip Effiong, whom I had appointed to administer the Government in my absence, and his last request to me was to take out his family and to main tain them under my protec tion. I agreed.
Since the departure of the delegation from Biafra we have remained faithful to our mandate. We have made con tacts with friends and men of goodwill. We have spared no efforts to mobilize all forces in an effort to take food into Biafra on a gigantic scale. We have taken steps to alert the world to real fears of genocide at the hands of the Nigerians.
Nigeria's continuing efforts have always been directed at domesticizing the conflict in order to apply the final solu tion to the Biafran problem away from the glare of an inquisitive world.
Effect on Trained People
I would like to conclude this statement with a solemn declaration, emphasizing again the point I have repeatedly made in this appeal to the governments of the world to save my people from exter mination. The sole motive be hind Nigeria's determination to draw an iron curtain over Biafra and exclude interna tional observers, relief agen cies, journalists whom they have not carefully picked themselves, is to make sure that the atrocities they will certainly carry out in Biafra are unseen and unreported in the world press.
Once they have sealed off Biafra from the gaze of man kind, I hesitate to contem plate the fate of the Biafran leadership, the trained man power, the scientists and pro fessionals whom they would liquidate as planned before the world can interfere. Gen ocide, I repeat, is not an in ternal affair of Nigeria, and it Is the clear duty of those powers who have armed and helped Nigeria to gain victory over Biafra to step in and persuade Gowon to allow in ternational agencies and ob servers to enter Biafra to feed the hungry, to heal the sick and to save a whole peo ple from complete annihila tion.
If they fail to persuade Ni geria to open her doors to these agencies, then their declarations of humanitarian aid to Nigeria become mere propaganda. I repeat, the aims of Nigeria are genocidal —the test that the, contrary is the case is her willingness to admit humanitarian agen cies whom Gowon has now openly declared he will ex clude.
As a people we have en dured as only giants endure.
We have fought as heroes fight. We have dared as only gods dare. We are disillusion ed by the world's insensitivity to the plight of our people. Yet because our cause is just, we believe we have not lost the war, only that the battle field has changed. We are convinced that Biafra will survive.
Biafra was born out of the blood of innocents slaugh tered in Nigeria during the pogroms of 1966. Biafra will ever live not as a dream but as the crystalization of the cherished hopes of a people who see in the establishment of this territory a last hope for peace and security. Biafra cannot be destroyed by mere force of arms.
May I take this opportunity to thank all those persons and organizations that have sacrificed that we might live —that we assure them that their sacrifice will not be in vain.
Biafra lives! The struggle continues! Long live the Republic of Biafra!