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Good morning. Tomorrow marks 50 years since the end of the deadly Nigeria-Biafra Civil war, which saw up to three million people die – the vast majority from starvation. Described as one of the bloodiest wars of the 20th century, the crisis was a watershed moment for many British NGOs, who were spurred to action, providing humanitarian support in response to the heartbreaking images of malnourished children being beamed into UK homes. The Biafran war is not just a fact of history. For me it’s personal. All my life I’ve lived in the shadow of Biafra. My parents and relatives having had to flee their homes, leaving everything behind in a desperate search for safety and food in order to survive. The Biafran flag symbolised their plight, but also their hopes and dreams. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes in her bestselling book: “Red was the blood of the siblings massacred in the north, black was for mourning them, green was for the prosperity Biafra would have, and, finally, the half of a yellow sun stood for the glorious future.” Working now for one of the UK NGOs that responded gives me a unique perspective. The people that development organisations help in conflict zones around the world are people just like you and me, with families and histories and future hopes. When after two and a half years the war came to an end in 1970, my parents have spoken of the unexpected sense of reconciliation attempted by Nigeria’s head of state Yakubu Gowon. There is “no victor, no vanquished”, he said, extending a hand of brotherhood to defeated Biafrans. No winners or losers in such a devastating civil war. It’s a sad reality that wars continue to rage around the world – robbing people of their dignity and humanity; men, women and children facing horrific acts of violence. Whether or not we’re involved in the brutality of military battle, each of us experiences conflict in our lives. It is in these conflicts and in their aftermath that we have the opportunity to show our humanity – to extend a hand of peace, despite our differences and despite the wars that have been raged between us. In our increasingly polarised society, each of us has a part to play in narrowing the chasms that open up between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Christians believe that at the communion table, the eucharist is the ultimate divine reconciliation between God and humanity; but is also a place at which we meet – brothers and sisters together no matter the disagreements we have had. Reconciliation is possible in the aftermath of conflict. In the peace agreement following the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the truth and reconciliation commission in post-apartheid South Africa and the coming together of nations following the Second World War; history teaches us the importance of forgiveness and the hopeful future that can follow the darkness.