Biafra and Iraq

Catholic New Times, Feb 9, 2003 by Fintan Kilbride

As a missionary intimately involved in Biafra (July 1967 to January 1970), a war widely acknowledged to be a struggle for the oil of the Niger Delta, I was immediately struck by the similarities with the present situation in Iraq.

Today over 70,000 U.S. and 20,000 British troops are set to topple Saddam Hussein, eliminate his supposed weapons of destruction and restore democracy to his people. No reference is made to the anticipated collateral damage to innocent civilians, nor to the estimated 500,000 Iraqi children already killed in the past 10 years by a ruthless blockade.

I am reminded of the question put to me in 1969 by Oduomegu Ojukwu, leader of the Biafran people: "When will Britain and America be satisfied that enough Ibo blood has been shed for the oil of Biafra?" By that time, according to the International Red Cross, over two million lives had been sacrificed to the business interests of the West. Then, as now, the genocide of a people was not too high a price in order to secure our access to the oil that sustains our economy and our way of life. Then, as now, all that is asked by bystanders to the Iraqi people is that we say nothing and "play" dead. In a very real way, our silence is a crime against humanity.

Fintan Kilbride

Toronto, ON