For the vanquished: The case for Reconciliation and Transitional Justice in the 1967 - 1970 Nigeria-Biafra conflict

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This research project addresses the importance oftransitional justice in the 1967 - 1970 Nigeria-Biafra war. Itcritically explores the role of memory and latent trauma increating various narratives of the conflict and theconsequences of these factors on an already splintered'Nigerian' national identity. Following the theme of memoryand trauma, It also considers various marginalisedexperiences of the conflict, particularly those of womenand minoritised ethnic groups in the seceeding 'Biafran'region, in a bid to paint a complex picture of the extent ofviolence and the claims of persecution. In so doing, itexposes the convenience of narrative construction,particularly on the part of the Biafran side, to present aclaim of genocide.At the heart of this paper are policy-basedrecommendations for implementing a national transitionaljustice programme. Centring the experiences of disaffectedcommunities and regions, this project proposes measuresto be taken to validate the experiences of victims andcommence a process of national healing. Theserecommendations are also rooted in analyses of otherapproaches to reconciliation and transitional justice.Transitional justice is consequently presented in this paper,as a three-pronged approach, consisting of 'understanding,acceptance and memorialisation', with a particular focus onarts-based approaches to national healing.