Ngozi NwaubaniWar is the purest form of violence and hatred. No one prays to be born or involved in a war situation because survival is not guaranteed. You should know what I’m talking about by now; if you have watched any war movies, then you are there. I don’t mean the movies where the soldiers are sweetly kept and well-fed in training camps who end up saving the day after a few challenges on the battlefield.
I mean the ones where civilians are caught in the gunfire between armies trying to survive. Suppose you don’t know and want to get started on war movies or documentaries inspired by real-life conflicts. In that case, I recommend those set around the Holocaust (violence against the Jews), the Nazis, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Afghanistan, the Sino-Japanese war etc.
The world has been at war with itself before, and it is only wise to deduce that we may see war again, hopefully not the third world war. After the devastating results of the first and second world wars, you’d think people learn. Well, they don’t. Everyone wants to hold the longest and sharpest blade to feel the most powerful.
Anyway, when war comes, your enemy doesn’t give you a warning, time or place. They will not prepare you for what they are about to do, so it’s best you prepare yourself, and that’s why nations spend billions on national security. The signs of war are pretty much glary in most cases, war declarations are always publicized, and there must be a decisive unresolved conflict on both ends.
It is expedient to know that international wars and conflicts can spread abroad, especially to allies. It’s just like what happens in a bush fire; if the flames are not dealt with in particular bush territories where it started, it may end up spreading and burning down the entire forest. International conflicts can turn into world wars if one is not careful.
What we experienced during the lockdown is child’s play, and I feel embarrassed for even mentioning it. I will say that the world was at war during this time, not with human flesh but with the coronavirus. People were just bored out of their minds, sitting at home, sleeping all day etc. If you want to know what a war scenario would be like, continue reading below:
1. Missile Launches
This will be the first ‘hello’ present from an invading enemy. Airstrikes will be the wake-up call in the morning (that’s if you can sleep), like your breakfast. Bombs and missiles will hit your beloved city, similar to what Russia did to Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, 2022. If your country’s adversary is a nuclear weapon-wielding nation and yours is not, I’m sorry. Like what happened in Ukraine, most missiles can be intercepted in the skies before landing, but sometimes they are not. Airstrikes are usually the first attack that marks the beginning of a war.
2. Chaos/Anarchy
After missile launches, the government will not be able to establish order and decorum swiftly in affected regions. There will be an expansive state of hysteria, confusion and disorganization. If the strike did not affect common communication channels, it might take a few hours for the authorities to establish communication.
If you are in the cities, you can expect ambulances and red cross teams to show up but for the villages and small towns, forget it. You will have to help yourself. People may come to your aid or not, everyone will be fleeing for their lives, and you will too. You might even be that person who runs away from helping that person limping with one leg or digging someone out of a pile of rubble.
3. Traveling Restrictions
Your adversary might deliberately target critical transportation infrastructure, making it more difficult for people to escape to safety. Like the air ban restriction currently in Ukraine, there will be a constraint on air and land travellers. It will be unsafe to flee the country by air because enemies might be hoping you would. With the technological advancements in airpower, the airspace is now technically a warzone. Missile exchanges will turn the skies into a battlefield.
Also, the streets, main roads, and even highways may become a warzone. The trains will stop running, and everyone will be forced to walk on foot. During the Biafran war, millions of Igbo families had to trek to their ancestral home in the eastern part of the country. So, you won’t be the first to attempt it.
4. End of Utility services
With war on our hands, no one would want to still turn up for work at the factories. Everyone will be fleeing for their lives and not try to save a company or economic life. Cities will be abandoned. Also, while civilians are fleeing their posts, the military personnel are expected to stand and fight.
Expect utility services to stop working, electricity, water, network reception, DSTV and cable subscription etc. Most utility services are hosted in other countries; TV and telecommunication services may be disconnected during the war.
5. Closure of Markets and Shops
Markets and supermarkets will shut their doors until a place is entirely safe. These businesses are run by boards and business-minded people whose major interests are profit. So don’t expect them to be open; most workers will have abandoned ship anyway. Although, local markets may endure and stay semi-opened. Small scale businesses are operated by individuals who understand that their goods are still in high demand. Also, looting from major shops and supermarkets may begin anyway.
6. Displacement
After rocket and missile strikes, people’s lives, houses and properties will be upheaved or uprooted forcedly. There will be significant changes in an individual life’s progress, a man who has attained a high-level standard of living may be reduced to a very low class or standard of living. People will be forced to abandon properties with invading armies on your doorstep. You will be forced to flee with the clothes o your back or just a small bag pack. It is very likely that people will have to start over in new countries with nothing more than refugee statuses.
7. Hard Cash and Food is king
The ATMs on the street will not have cash in them. Physical cash will take priority over bank transfers simply because of what they are. You can’t rely on cash when your phone can die at any moment and when the banks and ATMs are without money. Food hoarding will also become the order of the day because no one wants to go hungry. Some people may use this to trade for other services as well if they have it in excess instead of money.
7. Returning home/Escaping
All roads will lead people back to their hometowns for those in the cities. Some nations may not share close borders with other nations, and they may even be island nations with nowhere to run but hide. Expatriates will also find it hard to leave warring countries, especially if they do not find ways to protect and evacuate them.
Those living in countries like these who have nowhere to run with travel restrictions will have to settle for the bushes or their villages. It is only natural for people to run back home; people are also taken back home to be buried if they die in strange or foreign lands.
8. Nurses and Doctors
Nurses, doctors and paramedics will have to be on standby during the war and emergency times. They are people who can run and escape, too, but they are more vital and needed to save people’s lives during perilous times. It’s why they were working while you stayed home in boredom and sleep. You might think it is unfair and all, but they took the Hippocratic oath. Without the health care professionals delivering first aid, many injured war victims may end up dying.
9. Bomb Shelters
In the case of war, the government will publicize bomb shelter locations for people to take cover when the need arises. If your country doesn’t have one, there would be a place where civilians run to for help. It might not be a bomb shelter, but it will be a shelter of some sort to assist citizens on the next course of action and maintain order until decorum is reestablished.
10. “Women and Children first”
Women and children will be prioritized when it comes to the evacuation of citizens. This is for reasons such as minors being too young and women being weaker and more vulnerable than men. Men’s interest will be considered last in all things, and yes, it would suck if you were a man. You would feel like punching those feminists who used to brag for equal rights all day in your face, but you will have to endure it and hope you survive.
In the world we live today, war is almost becoming inevitable in conflicts between nations because everyone is armed. As civilians, it will be wise to read the signs (provided there are signs) and start planning for the rainy day(maybe you can’t really prepare for a war).
If you realize your country has a conflict that might lead to war, it’s wise to start planning your exit on your own get out before it becomes day zero.
But then again, if war is the purest form of conflict and violence, the opposite should be the purest form of love and care? Does it exist? Is it Peace? Or should we wait for something else?
Muhammed Mustapha
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