3. - usaid

themselves to relief cargoes, but the Uli strip was also used for military
deliveries by Biafkan authorities. There was little done by the FPE to
hinder ICRC fliffhts early in the airlift operation but serious incidents
occurred during the first six months of 1969.
The ICRC airlift from Santa Isabel operated on a steadily increasing tempo
until January of 1969. By then 713 flights had been made with delivery of
6,670 tons of food, medicine, relief supplies, and personnel. At that time
the ICRC airfleet consisted of four DC6Bts, two DC7's and one Transvaal,
each hav- a payload capacity of from 9 to 1..0 tons.
Many difficulties prevailed for these ICRC fliaht operations. In a nutshell,
they reached their heist when on January 6, 1969, the newly formed Republlc
of Equatorial Guinea (RJZG) halted the ICRC airlift. The REG charged that
fuel was a military item and could not be termed as relief gds. ICRC
contended that it could not procure fuel in Riafra and had to bring it
along to use in trucks for delivery of food to the camps and distribution
centers. This order by the REG caused a serious disruption of the fli~hts.
The ICRC Commissioner-Ceneral reluctantly necotiated with the REG for
temporaq, special flicht apnrovals and on February 12 obtained reinstatemnt
of the airlift from Santa Isabel.
During the Santa Isabel hiatus, negotia.tlons for an alternative airlift from
Dahmg were undertaken. Cn January 28, the Govemrt of Dahomy authorized
ICRC to airlift relief goods from Cotonou to Rizfra.
To auppnt the ICRC airbridpe, the IJSG in January 1969 transferred four
C-07G1s from the United States to ICRC at a cost of $3,670 each. These
planes have a payload of 14. to 15 tons compared to the 9 to 10 tons of
each plane then used by ICRC.
As of M&v 1.9, 1969, ICRC had the followinq aircraft in operation at Cotonou:
one DC-6B; t h e C-97 Stratofreighters; one Beechcraft-Kingair, and at
Santa Isabel, four DCr7's. By June 11, 1969, ICRC had comleted 1,161
flights from Santa Isa.bel and 867 from Cotonou. Wowh these fl! phts
21,000 tons of relief supplies were delivered to Rlafra.
Durinq: May, ICRC lost a DL6 a.frcraft in a crash several miles from Uli
airfield killing the entire crew of four. Ck7 June 5-6, FTG forces shot
down an ICRC DC-7 relief plane. Again al.1 four crew m~bers were killed.
ICRC protested to the FDE. There ensued a series of cha-pes by the FMG
and counter-denials by ICRC. ICRC Conrmissioner-General August Lindt was
refused permission to return to Ni~eria b.r the FTG. ICRC refuted the FMC;
accusations and praised Dr. Lindtls work. While maint~lnim its worldwide
reputation and resnonsibllity to aid those who suffer from war, ICRC
reswcts the sovereigp rights of states. ICRC issued a statement which is
quoted in part: "....the ICRC have been the object of wjustifiable and
unaccentable attacks. Fn~a~ed In relief actions on behalf of the civilian
populations in the war stricken areas on both sides of the fmnt in Nimria,
the ICRC have conslstentl~~ taken evew nrecaution against adoptln~ any
nosition of a political character." The statement emphasized that ICRC had