 |
| Watch video of Biafrans protesting in South Africa |
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) marched to South African Parliament on Tuesday (April 5) to ask for help in securing the release of its leader Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently facing phantom treason charges in a court in Abuja, Nigeria. The video below shows Biafrans protesting in South Africa.
“We need people to be aware of the Biafran plight,” said Innocent Alia, Western Cape zonal co-ordinator of IPOB, while handing a petition over at the gates of South Africa’s Parliament during a polite protest.
He said South Africa, as a “leading light in democracy”, could help immensely in resolving the decades-old dispute which had led to the deaths of many people. IPOB Western Cape spokesperson Gloria Alia explained that the strife in Biafra was a result of boundaries drawn by Britain as a colonial power, without regard for the preferences of people already living in the region.
When Britain withdrew from Nigeria in 1960, it left the colonial borders in place. A protracted civil war ensued between Biafra and the Nigerian government as Biafrans sought self-rule. Biafra was reintergrated into Nigeria after the two-and-a-half-year conflict, during which an estimated three million civilians died in fighting and from starvation resulting from blockades.
Alia said that Biafrans, who are mostly Christians, were also being pressured to convert to Islam by supporters of predominantly Muslim Ariwa. Ipob has launched a global campaign to put their campaign for self-determination on the world’s agenda and Tuesday’s march included dropping a petition off with British diplomatic representatives.
The march was well attended and the petition was accepted by a parliamentary representative, Peter Lebeko, who explained the lengthy process of tabling and considering a petition. Alia said that Nigerian asylum seekers in South Africa were predominantly from Biafra and would return “in a heartbeat” if it were safe to do so.
-Biafra Today
No comments:
Post a Comment