"The Jews of West Africa": Post-Holocaust Consciousness in the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970)

The Biafran War/Nigerian Civil War was a deeply contentious ordeal that took place between 1967-1970 and claimed the lives of upwards of 3 million Igbos. Many statements were given in response to this crisis, but none as provocative as that of former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger who labeled the Igbos the “Jews of West Africa.” This would not be the first nor last time global spectators of the Biafran War would draw comparisons between the atrocities attributed towards the Jews during the Holocaust and the experiences of the Igbos in Biafra. This paper asks in what ways did post-Holocaust consciousness affect international responses to anti-Igbo violence prior to and during the Biafran War (1965-1970) and to what extent did these framings have enduring effects on the Igbos in the post-Biafran epoch?