Nigeria 1966: How faithful missionaries saved countless lives in a forgotten genocide
Think of Nigeria today and Boko Haram springs to mind, with its murderous version of Islam which has been responsible for untold suffering. But Nigeria itself is a colonial construction, created by Britain out of a conglomeration of different tribes and languages and given independence in 1960. It has known civilian governments and military dictarships as different tribes and interests competed for dominance, and has not yet come close to fulfilling its potential as a beacon of peace, prosperity and democracy for Africa.
One of the earliest trials faced by the new nation was the genocide committed against the Igbo people in Northern Nigeria in 1966, a crime hardly remembered in much of the world. The exact number who died is unknown, but it's estimated at between 30,000 and 50,000. They were murdered by Hausa-Fulani soldiers and civilians seeking revenge for a failed coup-d'état, and the atrocities...