Surviving Biafra War 1967 - 1970

This story is one of survival. My story. An eyewitness account, as a young twelve-year-old boy, at the onset and during Nigeria's Biafra Civil War from 1967-1970. Come with me as I share a detailed narrative of my experiences, including interviews from people who lived and survived the war. A war that during its two and half years of the fighting, resulted in over 100,000 military casualties and where nearly 2 million Biafran civilians died of starvation, mostly women and children. Starting from the city of Enugu, in the southeastern part of Nigeria, my journey begins as my family and I desperately flee the city, to the countryside, in an effort to avoid the brutality of the encroaching Nigerian Federal soldiers. As a Biafran youth seeking to join the junior army to become a "Boy Soldier", I failed to meet the age requirement. Later I learned that boy-soldiers were routinely exploited by the adult soldiers on our side, the Biafrans. While others met their fate at the hands of the invading Nigerian Federal troops. And many young people died of starvation and desolation. Dangerous and harsh conditions continued to escalate as my family and I became refugees in our own land and fought for survival day by day. The events that took place from both factions of the conflict, demonstrated how everyone had to do what they could to survive. Stranger against a stranger. Neighbor against neighbor. Family against family. A feeling of a population trapped and quarantined within an envelope of death and desperation. I lost family members, dug graves, and starved but survived. Writing this book, telling my story, allows me to document and preserve my truths and experiences before and throughout the war. It is an accounting that may help the next generation, especially those who were born after 1970, understand the cruelty of Civil War and the importance of civil unity. The division of a nation, of its culture, norms and traditions, leaves an indelible mark. And even seven years after Nigeria gained her independence in 1960 from the British colonial government, who sowed the seeds of division in the country, the Biafra Civil War's historical roots are traceable to that British colonial rule. A conflict that so deepened divisions between Nigeria's different ethnic groups that it is still felt today. The Biafra Civil War also traumatized a generation of Nigerians who lived through it. My experiences became a defining moment for me as I reached adulthood and continue to influence me today. It is my hope that my story will help influence you. I hope that my story helps you understand the reason for the societal issues Nigeria is facing today.

Author: Joseph Chijindu Agu

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: Jun 05, 2023

Number of Pages: 340 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: NA

ISBN-13: 9798396970434