Nigeria Civil War and Non-State Actors: Case of the Organisation of African Unity, 1967-1970

Abstract

One major consequence of the early years of Nigeria’s independence is the eruption of the Nigeria Civil War (1967-1970). The war can be described as an international conflict through indices such as the roles of foreign policy relations, humanitarian assistance, international press, and international organisation among others. Interestingly, scholarly works have emerged on the causation, implications, international dimensions, and humanitarian operations before, during and even after the conflict. The article examines the role of the Organisation of African Unity (O.A.U) in the Nigeria Civil War. Without a doubt, between 1967 and 1979, the war featured in the scheme of African affairs through conferences, summits, diplomatic roundtables among African leaders and the O.A.U. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of the O.A.U in the peaceful settlement of disputes has long been a subject of debate. Drawing on the use of content analysis and interpretation of secondary data, the article shows that the performance of the O.A.U during the war cannot be deemed ineffective. It argues that factors such as the O.A.U charter, mandates, and principle of non-interference, complexities of internal actors, methods of settlement of disputes (persuasive diplomacy) and the role of external proved to be the major obstacles to a concrete intervention process.