Historicising British and Russian Intervention during the Nigerian Civil War, 1967 – 1970

Abstract

The desire of both the Biafran regime an the federal military government of  Nigeria during the Nigerian civil war to secure diplomatic support as well as military assistance from the  outside world could not but lead to the internationalization of the conflict. This desire coupled with other reasons attracted many countries to declare support and assistance to either the federal military government of Nigeria or the Biafran regime.

The focus of this paper is to give a historical analysis of the intervention of Britain and Russia during the Nigerian civil war. The motivational bases of their involvement in the war, the dynamics and levels of their involvement as well as the effects of such involvement shall be examined in this paper. The paper also argues in the conclusion that the refusal of Britain and Russia to comply with the call for international arms embargo in 1968 did not help in facilitating a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The paper also recommends as championed by scholars of conflict resolution in a civil war situation that there should be readiness by the intervening powers to stop arms sale when it might be effective to aid peaceful resolution of conflict.

Keywords: Historicizing, intervention, civil war, diplomatic support, military assistance.