“Aggravated Starvation”: Biafran Diaspora, American Statesmen, Organizations, and Community Responses to Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War

This article presents two main arguments. First, it maintains that it was hard to prove that genocide occurred in Biafra. Second, against the assumption that the American campaign for Biafra was dominated by American public, it argues that the support received from America by the Biafrans was through the efforts of parties, including Biafrans resident in America, American communities, American organizations, and American political class. The article explores America’s intervention in the Nigerian Civil War. It examines the various ways through which Biafrans in America, American politicians, organizations, and communities backed Biafra in its moment of desperate needs. The starvation that was prevalent in Biafra, triggered by the blockade imposed by Nigeria on the secessionist state, had led to the deaths of Biafran civilians, especially women and children. This development attracted the attention of a large percentage of American population, generating concerns for the victims of the war on the Biafran side. As a result, they mobilized personal funds, communal resources, and pressurized their government to aid Biafrans with relief. Although this demand was granted by the American government, its implementation had some implications for US-Nigeria relations. The Biafran experience offers a unique opportunity for understanding the human rights and humanitarian complexities in the war events happening in many places around the world, especially Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.