"i must say it saddens me to see such deepseated dissension still today about whether the case of biafra
was one of genocide when so many people died under tragic conditions."harrow
Does Yemen not fit the above definition? Many died and are dying under tragic conditions.
The "Houtis" constitute a sectarian religious group with Shiite leanings, opposed to
the Sunni government faction and the Saudi camp..
If genocide is defined by a large body count in tragic conditions, Iraq in terms of the two Gulf
wars will make the list, too, especially given the difference in ethnicity of the belligerents - and the huge body count.
Was Biafra a target because of the ethnic identity of the people, therein, or because of its secessionist declaration - or both? Given the huge body count does this matter?
Kwame, Should we disqualify Biafra because there was no major reduction in the Igbo population, will that disqualify African American claims, too?
Scenario One
A small population of 1,000 people loses 800 members in the course of open warfare with people of the same religion and ethnicity. Let us say that this one was a border war, and that the other side may have lost as many. Does this qualify as genocide?
Scenario Two
A population of 1,000 people loses 800 members while fighting people of a different race, ethnicity or religion over a border dispute with no planned intention to exterminate on either side. Does this qualify as genocide?
Scenario Three
A population of 1,000 people loses 800 members while fighting people of a different race, ethnicity or religion over a border dispute with the intention to exterminate. Does this qualify as genocide?
This may seem to be an exercise in semantics by some but I believe we need to identify the variables
associated with the concept before using it. The other option, of course, is to declare all wars as genocide, given the fact that countless numbers of people die in the process.
GE
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