Abie Nathan and his Double-Edged Missions: The Transnational Humanitarian and Human Rights Activist during the Nigeria-Biafra War

Abstract:The Nigeria-Biafra War occupied a prominent position among the brutal conflicts fought in the 1960s. Some scholars have compared the war both in terms of human cost and material destruction to the Vietnam War. But despite that there is a growing literature on the humanitarian or human rights aspects of the conflict, some key actors have been left out from the narrative. Much of the available literature concentrate on the activities of the "giant voices," neglecting the vital roles of the individual humanitarian and human rights actors in the war. This paper examines the contributions of a humanitarian and human rights actor, Abie Nathan, in the Nigeria-Biafra War, and suggests that to avoid writing "ground history," there is a need for scholars to recognize the contributions of private actors in the historiography of the war.