Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has warned against the unrest in the country. He even went as far to remind the country of the 1967 war between the Nigerian government and the secessionist state of Biafra…for those of you who don’t remember, this is where Doctors Without Borders became popular, presenting images of starving children with distended stomachs after the government blockade of Nigeria’s southeast.
Jonathan, who comes from the Delta, saw much of the violence that hit the region so heavily during the civil war.
The situation in Nigeria is rapidly unfolding, as tens of thousands have been forced to flee from the post-election violence.
The election of Jonathan is significant in that he comes from the South. Previously, most of the country’s power base has come from the Hausa north, this often leaving the people of the Delta very unrepresented at the highest echelons of government.
Jonathan described the acts as shocking, stating, “They killed and maimed innocent citizens.
They set ablaze business premises, private homes, and even places of worship.”
Jonathan talked about how similar acts had contributed to the Nigerian-Biafran War of 1967, this being a very very serious reminder for the people in the South, who still feel the deep, ingrained scars of that conflict.
