Word: hausa
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...will not make much difference. Victory, in fact, could easily initiate a bloodier and longer guerilla war. The Federal Government has 12,000 troops to control a hostile population of over nine-million--difficult in any situation but tougher when the people are Ibos and the Federal conquerors mostly Hausa...
...ever since the Moslem Hausa in Nigeria's vast, arid Northern Region slaughtered 30,000 Ibos last fall, the two tribes have been blood enemies. The Ibos are not likely to let bygones be bygones. "They are stubborn," says Amiel Fagbulu, soon to be Minister of Education in Nigeria's Western Region. "They know what they want and they fight for their rights." Colonel Ojukwu, the Biafran head-of-state, has reportedly armed 100,000 irregulars for long-term guerilla warfare...
...that time, a wave of fear sent Nigerians of all tribes scuttling back to their home territories, and forced the de facto partition of Nigeria into three tribal states--Yoruba West, Hausa North, and Ibo East. The largest group of refugees were 1.8 million Ibos from the North, many badly injured. Enraged, the Ibos demanded federal compensation of the injured and homeless. To prevent a repitition of the atrocities, they also called for the de jure recognition of Nigeria's partition--in the form of a confederation of almost autonomous states. They threatened to secede if the Federal Government...
...elite made the tribal group their power base, appealing to ethnic sentiments rather than issues. Surely, they eased their own way to power; but Nigeria paid dearly. Tribal divisions were institutionalized in government. Leaders found their maneuverability fatally limited. Thus, Gowon, as a northern general, owed his office to Hausa support. He heeded their opposition to the confederate plan, even though his stand jeopardized an equitable sentiment...
...when Biafra capituates, Gowon will have even less elbow-room. Ibo resistance has hardly pacified the Hausas. And far from convincing the Ibos they belong in Nigeria, the war seems likely to reinforce their determination to escape the Federation Despite federal precautions, there seems little hope of avoiding a massive slaughter of Ibos as Hausa troops march through Ibo villages. Last year's wounds, it appears are going to be reopened with a vengance. Nigeria cannot hope for a lasting peace until it reconstitutes its government on a non-tribal basis...