War Infatuation Breeds Casual Cruelty in Secessionist Eastern Area of Nigeria - The mood in the new secessionist state of Biafra is an odd blend of ugliness and boyish playfulness. The leaders of Biafra, once the Eastern region of Nigeria, feel their backs are up against the wall but, as their leader, Col. C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, put it in a recent interview, they are ready to defend themselves to the last man. These attitudes encourage a single-minded infatuation with war, an atmosphere ready to crackle with brutality and unreality. The mood of Biafra now reflects all this. I felt and saw the mood of Biafra the moment I stepped across the Niger River bridge from Asaba in Federal Nigeria to Onitsha in Biafra. A young, handsome Ibo wearing what looked like a prep school jacket and carrying a suitcase and a handbag, walked across the bridge at the same time...

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