10 Feed the hungry – no matter what?
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Eldrid Mageli
Abstract
This chapter addresses the issue of humanitarian aid during a conflict that today is largely forgotten, the Biafra civil war of the late 1960s, and in doing so re-examines the question of whether humanitarian aid can do harm in times of war, by prolonging the conflict. When the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), complying with international rules, grounded its planes because federal Nigerian authorities demanded it, the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) objected to the decision. This created considerable tension between the NRC and the ICRC. The chapter discusses the impact of Red Cross aid to Biafra, the role of the NRC in the conflict and its objection to ICRC policy in the Biafra crisis.
Abstract
This chapter addresses the issue of humanitarian aid during a conflict that today is largely forgotten, the Biafra civil war of the late 1960s, and in doing so re-examines the question of whether humanitarian aid can do harm in times of war, by prolonging the conflict. When the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), complying with international rules, grounded its planes because federal Nigerian authorities demanded it, the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) objected to the decision. This created considerable tension between the NRC and the ICRC. The chapter discusses the impact of Red Cross aid to Biafra, the role of the NRC in the conflict and its objection to ICRC policy in the Biafra crisis.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures viii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xii
- 1 The Red Cross Movement 1
- 2 Certainty, compassion and the ingrained arrogance of humanitarians 27
- 3 The Americans lead the way? 47
- 4 Intertwined stories of war humanitarianism 63
- 5 The early history of the Red Cross Society of China and its relation to the Red Cross Movement 81
- 6 Failure to launch 97
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Part II Turning points
- 7 Challenging the colonial and the international 115
- 8 Realignment in the aftermath of war 130
- 9 The ‘British Red Cross still exists’, 1947–1974 148
- 10 Feed the hungry – no matter what? 164
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Part III The Red Cross’s modus operandi
- 11 ‘A cog in the great wheel of mercy’ 181
- 12 Coming of age in the crucible of war 199
- 13 The 1938 International Committee of the Red Cross Conference 213
- 14 ‘£50,000 is too small a fine to pay’ 230
- 15 The British Red Cross Society and the ‘parcels crisis’ of 1940–1941 245
- 16 The Red Cross in wartime Macau and its global connections 264
- 17 A humanitarian and national obligation 282
- Index 296
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures viii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xii
- 1 The Red Cross Movement 1
- 2 Certainty, compassion and the ingrained arrogance of humanitarians 27
- 3 The Americans lead the way? 47
- 4 Intertwined stories of war humanitarianism 63
- 5 The early history of the Red Cross Society of China and its relation to the Red Cross Movement 81
- 6 Failure to launch 97
-
Part II Turning points
- 7 Challenging the colonial and the international 115
- 8 Realignment in the aftermath of war 130
- 9 The ‘British Red Cross still exists’, 1947–1974 148
- 10 Feed the hungry – no matter what? 164
-
Part III The Red Cross’s modus operandi
- 11 ‘A cog in the great wheel of mercy’ 181
- 12 Coming of age in the crucible of war 199
- 13 The 1938 International Committee of the Red Cross Conference 213
- 14 ‘£50,000 is too small a fine to pay’ 230
- 15 The British Red Cross Society and the ‘parcels crisis’ of 1940–1941 245
- 16 The Red Cross in wartime Macau and its global connections 264
- 17 A humanitarian and national obligation 282
- Index 296
