Dermot Doran, an Irish priest who assisted thousands of Biafrans, mainly Igbo-speaking people in South-East Nigeria, is dead. 

Mr Doran died on May 19 at the age of 88.

He was a linchpin of the Biafran airlift, which brought 60,000 tons of aid to southeastern Nigeria.

Mr Doran, who had been in Nigeria as an educator, became the linchpin of one of the largest civilian humanitarian efforts in history.

His niece Cathy Doran attributed the cause of his death to myelodysplastic syndromes, a rare form of blood cancer.

Although, Mr Doran’s death in a hospital was not widely reported at the time.

Mr Doran arrived in Nigeria in 1961, not long after being ordained as a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers, a Roman Catholic congregation also known as the Spiritans. 

The congregation had long had a strong presence in Nigeria, especially in the South-East, where the Igbo population is mostly Christian.

However, he fell in love with Nigeria, especially the Igbo culture with its rich storytelling traditions. 

The Biafran airlift is widely considered a watershed moment in international humanitarianism. It was the first time nonprofits and private citizens led the response to a crisis.

Several countries, including the United States and Israel, quietly supported the airlift, but it received no official government approval. 

The Biafran war ended in 1970 when Nigeria vanquished the breakaway region and expelled most European missionaries.