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Biafra: The Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970

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9781909982369

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Among mid-20th-century, post-colonial crises, the Nigerian Civil War, author Peter Baxter correctly contends, was the second high-profile, post-independence conflict in Africa . Now it dominates the 16th installment in Helion's splendid Africa@War series: Biafra. Subtitled The Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970 , the compact, 72-page study competently chronicles the conflict. Contents commence with a practical pr cis of Nigerian colonial history - in which ethnicity, religion and oil naturally play key, continuing roles. Resist temptation to skip these background summaries: they explain much. With independence, Nigeria's federal structure did, indeed, prove tenuous. In the wake of the July 1966 counter-coup to that year's January uprising, wholesale slaughter of Igbos accelerated succession. And Lt Col Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Eastern region military governor, declared the sovereign Republic of Biafra 30 May 1967. The Nigerian Civil War had begun. Baxter traces the total tale, beginning with the immediate run-up to war - dramatis personae and the Aburi Conference. Early Nigerian military actions, Biafra's audacious Operation Torch and the inevitable, almost plodding Federal strangulation follow. No coverage would be complete without Nigeria's use of starvation as a weapon. And Baxter dutifully distills clandestine international relief - and gun-running - efforts to Biafra. Photos, maps, acronym glossary and annotations augment text. And a handy conclusion and endnotes complete coverage. For a pithy pr cis on the Nigerian Civil War, grab this convenient chronicle. Recommended! --Cybermodeler

Among mid-20th-century, post-colonial crises, the Nigerian Civil War, author Peter Baxter correctly contends, was the second high-profile, post-independence conflict in Africa . Now it dominates the 16th installment in Helion's splendid Africa@War series: Biafra. Subtitled The Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970 , the compact, 72-page study competently chronicles the conflict. Contents commence with a practical precis of Nigerian colonial history - in which ethnicity, religion and oil naturally play key, continuing roles. Resist temptation to skip these background summaries: they explain much. With independence, Nigeria's federal structure did, indeed, prove tenuous. In the wake of the July 1966 counter-coup to that year's January uprising, wholesale slaughter of Igbos accelerated succession. And Lt Col Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Eastern region military governor, declared the sovereign Republic of Biafra 30 May 1967. The Nigerian Civil War had begun. Baxter traces the total tale, beginning with the immediate run-up to war - dramatis personae and the Aburi Conference. Early Nigerian military actions, Biafra's audacious Operation Torch and the inevitable, almost plodding Federal strangulation follow. No coverage would be complete without Nigeria's use of starvation as a weapon. And Baxter dutifully distills clandestine international relief - and gun-running - efforts to Biafra. Photos, maps, acronym glossary and annotations augment text. And a handy conclusion and endnotes complete coverage. For a pithy precis on the Nigerian Civil War, grab this convenient chronicle. Recommended! -- Cybermodeler

Among mid-20th-century, post-colonial crises, the Nigerian Civil War, author Peter Baxter correctly contends, was the second high-profile, post-independence conflict in Africa. Now it dominates the 16th installment in Helion's splendid Africa@War series: Biafra. Subtitled The Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970, the compact, 72-page study competently chronicles the conflict. Contents commence with a practical pr cis of Nigerian colonial history - in which ethnicity, religion and oil naturally play key, continuing roles. Resist temptation to skip these background summaries: they explain much. With independence, Nigeria's federal structure did, indeed, prove tenuous. In the wake of the July 1966 counter-coup to that year's January uprising, wholesale slaughter of Igbos accelerated succession. And Lt Col Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Eastern region military governor, declared the sovereign Republic of Biafra 30 May 1967. The Nigerian Civil War had begun. Baxter traces the total tale, beginning with the immediate run-up to war - dramatis personae and the Aburi Conference. Early Nigerian military actions, Biafra's audacious Operation Torch and the inevitable, almost plodding Federal strangulation follow. No coverage would be complete without Nigeria's use of starvation as a weapon. And Baxter dutifully distills clandestine international relief - and gun-running - efforts to Biafra. Photos, maps, acronym glossary and annotations augment text. And a handy conclusion and endnotes complete coverage. For a pithy pr cis on the Nigerian Civil War, grab this convenient chronicle. Recommended! --Cybermodeler

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Peter Baxter completed a full tour of operations as a flight engineer with Royal Air Force Bomber Command during the Second World War. Subsequently he took up Engineer Leader duties with a newly formed squadron, completing further operations over Germany. After the war Peter married Joan and he worked for the family firm in Birmingham as the warehouse manager until his retirement. Peter and Joan had two sons, Andrew and Michael, who wrote the foreword to this book.

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