Nigeria: Agony in Biafra

For the second time in 14 months of cruel civil war, Nigeria's federal government and Biafra's secessionist regime were edging toward peace talks last week. Meeting in Niamey, capital of Niger, under the aegis of the Organization for African Unity, the warring parties promised to undertake a second try at a full-scale peace conference in Addis Ababa on Aug. 5. At the very least the Biafran leader, Lieut. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, hopes to achieve a temporary ceasefire. For Biafra desperately needs a respite in the bitter war.

Despite a relative lull in...