The Israel Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that aid had been offered to relieve the suffering of the population of Biafra, the break-away eastern province of Nigeria where thousands of people were reported dying of starvation each day. A Ministry spokesman said Israel’s offer of aid had been made through the International Red Cross headquarters in Geneva. Israel was waiting to hear from the IRC whether such items as blankets, food and medical supplies were wanted, or just the funds to buy them, he said.
Informed sources here noted that the problem was less a matter of acquiring supplies for Biafrans than getting supplies to them. Biafra is under siege by the Nigerian Government which has refused to allow an airlift of supplies. The Biafrans, on the other hand, will not accept the offer of a land corridor through Nigerian Federal territory, they said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
