If I could do it all, I'd go back and stop the Biafra war;
I'd stop it!
I'd throw every weapon into the ocean, wipe every man's brain and clean up even emotions...
But I can't do it all...
Popular Nigerian musician, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens (a.k.a Ruggedman) once sang a song titled "If I could do it all" in which he featured one of Nigeria's finest vocalists, Niyola. In this song he talked about how he could go back to the past to change some of the darkest moments in the history of Nigeria.
He concluded the song by saying:
The only time that there could be absolute peace is when there is only one human in this world.
As long as there is more than one human, there would always be conflict of ideas.
I cannot agree any less. The only way to avoid conflict of ideas is not to have no one to share our ideas with. The big question, however, is do we have to end it up with wars, killings, massacres and whatnot? The answer is NO.
The following events highlighted in this post should remind us that if people had learned to do things differently and resolved things in an amicable manner, some of the darkest moments in Africa's history would have been avoided. No less than 48 out of 54 countries have experienced wars/conflicts in their history that claimed thousands of lives, but I would be considering five of them in this post.
Although the Nigerian civil war did not last as long as any of the wars in Liberia, yet it is an unforgettable period in the country's history which perhaps claimed more lives than the Liberian war recoreded. It lasted for almost three years (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970). This is one war which originated from conflict on different issues such as religious, cultural and ethnic division; political and economic interests. However, if one would make a hasty conclusion, it is safe to say the cause of the war is the control over oil production. Click here to read more about the Nigerian civil war.
The Rwandan civil war seems to be one of the most read about wars. Perhaps, because it has been produced as a movie. Even in the movie, it was really heart breaking. This war lasted about four years (1 October 1990 − 18 July 1994
) and claimed less lives than the Nigerian and Liberian wars, but we can't but think that it could have also have been avoided.
Click here to read more about the Rwandan civil war.
The Sierra Leone civil war lasted for a better part of my childhood. I can't help what live would have been like if I had spent 11 years of my early life experiencing war, moving from one place to another, seeking refuge in different places. The Sierra Leone civil war took place between 23 March 1991 and 18 January 2002, claiming over 50,000 lives. The aftermath of this war is still being experienced in this country till date. Similar to the Liberian war, it was born out of the desire of some people to rule the country at all cost and just like the Nigerian civil war, the natural source present in the country, diamonds contributed immensely to the war.
Click here to read more about the Sierra Leone civil war.
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Very shocking! What can we do to help?
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In my opinion, sensitization would go a long way. Ypu can help with this. People need to understand that we all can't have the same opinion on every issue. That way we would be able to tolerate our differences. In addition, When resources are limited, there is bound to be "survival of the fittest". The leaders need to ensure that they put things in place so that resources can be spread throughout their nation. Finally, everyone should put the interest of their country before their own personal gains.