‘ON EVE OF FRIGHTENING TRAGEDY’ IN BIAFRA

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32030, 3 July 1969, Page 13

‘ON EVE OF FRIGHTENING TRAGEDY’ IN BIAFRA

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) GENEVA, July 2. Several hundred thousand children were going to die in Biafra in the coming days, the new president of the international Committee of the Red Cross said in Geneva yesterday. “Public opinion must realise that we are on the eve of a frightening tragedy,” the president (Mr Marcel Naville) told a press conference. Meanwhile, in Lagos, Federal Nigeria said yesterday that it would allow relief organisations to continue their mercy operations in Nigeria for the time being, and will permit day-time supply flights into Biafra after inspection in Lagos. This was announced in a Government communique issued after a two-day meeting of representatives of the Federal relief agencies—some of which serve both sides in the civil war—after Nigeria’s decision yesterday to stop I.C.R.C. operations. Nigerian and Federal authorties yesterday announced that the Government was taking over the Red Cross committee’s key role of co-ordinator of relief to two and a half million people on both sides of the two-year-old civil war. “It is amazing that a State which represents a respectable and respected people can consider that one can dismiss the whole of a humanitarian organisation like one shows the door to an unfaithful servant,” Mr Naville said. “There is, in this, an intentional affront to all hu-

manitarian ideas and principles which exist in the soul of each person.” Mr Naville, who took over the presidency yesterday, criticised what he called the incomprehensible role of some non-African countries and “certain cannon merchants” in the war. “I would like to remind some people that all the petrol in Nigeria will perhaps not provide enough detergent to wash them really clean,” he said.

Long, silent queues of women and children formed each day in front of closed food distribution centres waiting in case, by a miracle, the doors opened again, Mr Naville said. Mr Naville said that although its role in Nigeria was over, the International Committee still had a duty to Biafra and aimed to do everything in its power to carry on its humanitarian work there.

Negotiations would have to be conducted with Nigeria over the disposal of food stocks. The committee was only the custodian of these and could not dispose of the food without the agreement of the donors. On a note of irony, Mr Na-

ville said that he accepted Nigeria’s thanks yesterday for the organisation's work in Biafra because this cleared the organisation of all the accusation it had been subjected to in the Nigerian press. Mr Jacques Freymond, former acting president echoed Mr Naville in saying that it was not food supplies that were prolonging the war, but arms.

Government and relief organisations should form a common front to resist the demands of the “hawks” in the war and see that humanitarian principles were respected, he said. The Lagos communique said mercy operations could continue pending negotiations over replacing the 1.C.R.C., which will have its role as coordinator of all relief activities in Nigeria taken over by the Government • backed National Commission for Rehabilitation.

The relief agencies agreed to co-operate with the commission, it said. It added: “The Federal Government agreed that, pending the outcome of discussions between the commission, the Nigerian Red Cross and the I.C.R.C. and of discussions between the commission and any other interested relief agency, the position of relief workers in the

field would not be altered, and existing arrangements for the storage and distribution of relief material would continue.”

The communique said the meeting agreed that food, drugs, clothing, seeds and seedlings would be shipped to Biafra in daylight flights from Lagos. It declared: “The Federal Government undertook to permit the transportation of agreed relief items to rebelheld areas by air after due inspection in Lagos. ••The Government emphasised that its ban on night flights remained in force, but it undertook to allow day flights between 8 a.m. G.M.T. and 5 p.m. G.M.T. daily, on the condition that all such flights took off from Lagos.” The Federal Government said that only aircraft crew and relief staff would, be permitted on relief flights after clearance.

“The Federal Government stated that any aircraft which did not comply with these arrangements would be flying into rebel-held areas at its own risk and its operations would bear the consequences of whatever might happen to it,” the communique also said. The' Federal Government urged relief agencies working in Biafra to ensure that

relief supplies were not used by military personnel and potential military staff. “The Federal Government further stressed the importance of ensuring the relief was devoted to the needs of women, children, the sick and the aged,” the communique said. It said that the representatives of the relief agencies, except those of the 1.C.R.C., expressed their understanding of, and willingness to accept, the new Federal Government policy on relief activities. The communique added: “The meeting noted the statement by the representative of the I.C.R.C. that he was-not in a position to subscribe to this communique.”