In August 1967 Biafran troops crossed the Niger, seized Benin City, and were well on their way to Lagos before they were checked at Ore, a small town in Western state (now Ondo state). Biafra was short on ammunition, its people were desperate for food, and its leaders controlled only one-sixth of the territory that had formed the Biafran republic in 1967. Nigerians in the capital city of Lagos cheer the surrender of the Biafran forces on January 12, 1970. Some women on the trail were raped and killed by soldiers, while others died in bombing raids. Lt Col. Ojukwu inspects Biafran troops on June 11, 1968. Biafra, officially theRepublic of Biafra, was a secessionist state inWest Africathat existed from May1967 to January1970 during theNigerian Civil War. Needless to say that never happened. The operation was aimed at pushing the enemy at Nkwok as far back towards Opobo as possible and also threaten or take Opobo if possible. Mr Ago remembers the overpowering hunger that often forced Biafran soldiers to catch and eat mice. An estimated 2,000 demonstrators presented the French ambassador with a letter protesting French assistance to Biafra. He was 90 years old. Nobody can fight a war like that.". Biafra at 50: The war that changed Nigeria, 'We fought for Biafra' Video, 00:01:13'We fought for Biafra', 1969: Nigeria bans Red Cross aid to Biafra, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended. At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. Soon afterwards, the Biafran battalion captured Umuabayi, together with the enemy ammunition and food dump located there. With the help of other French doctors, Kouchner put Biafra in the media spotlight and called for an international response to the situation. The Biafran Armed Forces ( BAF) were the military of the Nigerian secessionist state of Biafra, which existed from 1967 until 1970. MEDICAL CONSULTANTS REVEALED HOW MEN CAN NATURALLY AND PERMANENTLY CURE QUICK ERECTION, SMALL MANHOOD, AND INFERTILITY ISSUES WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS CLICK HERE. These events sparked the decision to secede, spearheaded by Ojukwu, who was then the military governor of the Eastern Region. 2023 Cable News Network. These doctors, led by Kouchner, concluded that a new aid organisation was needed that would ignore political/religious boundaries and prioritise the welfare of victims. I wasnt angry towards the Nigerian soldiers. A retired general of the Biafran Army presents a post-mortem account of the events of the Nigerian civil war, 1966-70. "I had to carry the rice while starving myself, carrying it across rivers and forests until I found them," he said. "The Nigerians who were pursuing us were trained soldiers. If he had slowed down and allowed some people who were with him to advise him properly, we would have come out better than we did.". After being given formal military training in both Ghana and the United Kingdom, Kalu was short service commissioned a Second Lieutenant in November 1959. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Major-General Hassan Umaru, a Nigerian Army officer, said that the army "would like to send an unequivocal warning to all those threatening and agitating for the dismemberment of the country . Four days later, Ojukwu unilaterally declared the independence of the Republic of Biafra, citing the Easterners killed in the post-coup violence as reasons for the declaration of independence. When Nigeria declared war on Biafra, some soldiers visited my house while I was away, thinking I was a Biafra informant, he told CNN. By way of background information, let me add that Government College, Umuahia by 1966 had produced thirteen mid-level and Senior Officers in the Nigerian Armed Forces. The military intervention worsened the political situation, as the army itself split along ethnic lines, its officers clashed over power, and the instigators and leaders of the January coup were accused of favouring Igbo domination. He left for exile in Ivory Coast and spent many years in the West African country before he was pardoned by Shehu Shagari, Nigerias first democratically elected president in 1982. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. But fearing for his safety, he decided not to return to his former location. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000. "I think we would have done better if we had handled it with a little bit more intelligence," said Mr Ago. The . Biafran Air Force commanders were Chude Sokey and later Godwin Ezeilo, who had trained with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Though he was much older than me, as a fellow Old Boy of Government College Umuahia, I knew him fairly well and interacted very closely with him in 2007 when he was to be honoured by the Lagos Branch of the Association at its Annual Dinner of which I was the chairman of the Dinner Committee under the presidency of C.N.C. Ojukwu says in the letter: "Your role in the . "Biafra would have been a technological nation and would have been able to compete with anybody," he said, anger in his voice. He did not run for the presidency in 1979, and Nigeria shifted to civilian rule, thus closing the era of military control during and around the Nigerian Civil War. In Biafra from March 1967, before the start of war hostilities, Eze and Madiebo in order to improve the intelligence gathering of Biafra, acting on their own initiative, visited various parts of Northern Nigerian boarder almost every night in an attempt to get information from friendly natives. This resulted in a group of Igbo junior army officers, led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, attempt a coup d'tat on January 15, 1966. . In the uncontrollable excitement of the chase, the Battalion cleared the entire town instead of clearing only the left side of it as was ordered. France provided weapons to Biafra, while the U.K. and the Soviet Union sent arms to the federal government. Nigerian police push back crowds of demonstrators outside the French Embassy in Lagos on September 16, 1968. A young officer orders an attack during the Biafra conflict in Nigeria in 1969. During Nigeria's civil war, he was a young officer in the Biafran army. First, his troops carried out series of diversionary, confidence operations to capture ammunition from Nigerian forces and draw its troops out of Ikot Ekpene for a final onslaught. The countrys northeast bordered theBenue Hillsand mountains that lead to Cameroon. Biafra, named after the Bight at the shores of the Atlantic, in my mind, is one of the greatest nations in black Africa that was destined to be, but unfortunately could only survive for 30 months.. [43], In their studySmallpox and its Eradication, Fenner and colleagues describe how vaccine supply shortages during the Biafrasmallpoxcampaign led to the development of the focal vaccination technique, later adopted worldwide by theWorld Health Organizationof theUnited Nations, which led to the early and cost-effective interruption of smallpox transmission inWest Africaand elsewhere. Njoku, a lawyer is a connoisseur of Biafran War Literature. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was its first federal prime ministerhe had held that position since 1957and Nnamdi Azikiwe became its president of the Senate, which was a largely ceremonial role. In 1967, following two coups and turmoil which led to about a million Igbos returning to the south-east of Nigeria, the Republic of Biafra seceded with 33-year-old military officer Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu at the helm. [1], At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. Did you encounter any technical issues? Luebering is Vice President, Editorial at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Info: Defence Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief. The Deputy Leader, Ebuta Ogar Takon is an Ejagham native, half Nigerian and half Cameroon. The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. Initially, Eze was Commander of 52 Brigade of Biafran Army with its headquarters in Calabar and responsible for the defence of the 75 miles of coastline between Ikang on the Cameroun boarder and Opobo on the Imo river basin. . The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War or the Nigerian-Biafran War, broke out between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the secessionist state of Biafra from July 6 1967 to January 15 1970. In conclusion, it is people like Eze that provided the sterling leadership for Biafran troops to perform extra-ordinary human feats that made the French Deputy, Ambassador Raymond Offroy to declare on a visit to Biafra, Before I came to Biafra, I was told that Biafrans fought like heroes. ", Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, pictured here in June 1968, was a charismatic figure, Nigerian troops seen in one of Biafra's main cities, Port Harcourt, in 1968 after fierce fighting, Hunger caused the deaths of many people during the conflict, When the war started, there was not a single weapon anywhere throughout Biafra. [27] Biafra was ill-equipped for war, with fewer army personnel and less equipment than the Nigerian military, but had advantages over the Nigerian state as they were fighting in their homeland and had the support of most Biafrans. Soldiers burnt houses and killed civilians the lake was filled with dead bodies, including those of white mercenaries, Adizua said. In early 1968 the Biafran army captured the city of Owerri at the Capture of Owerri. A starving Biafran family during the famine resulting from the Biafran War. After two-and-a-half years of war, during which almost two million Biafran civilians (34 of them small children) died from starvation caused by the total blockade of the region by the Nigerian government,[5] Biafran forces under Nigerias motto of No-victor, No-vanquished surrendered to the Nigerian Federal Military Government (FMG). [7], During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. The ex-general died on Friday. The four most senior officers of Northern origin were also killed. I looked for death but I couldnt find it.. [9], Biafra had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success of the air force. [32] The new currency went public on 28 January 1968, and the Nigerian pound was not accepted as an exchange unit. [6] After the surrender of Biafra, some Igbos who had fled the conflict returned to their properties but were unable to claim them back from new occupants. As a well-trained and experienced military officer in Nigeria, it was only natural that being an officer later in the Biafran Army, he had to play a key role in the war. By early 1969, Biafra had assembled fiveMFI-9Bsin neighbouringGabon, calling them the Biafra Babies. He was then posted to Signal Corps of the Nigerian Army. In 1968, Swedish pilot Carl Gustaf von Rosen suggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. He married Mrs. Joan Angelina Eze from Grenada, West Indies in 1960. The federal government, dominated by Northern Nigeria, allowed the crisis to unfold with the intention of declaring a state of emergency and placing the Western Region under martial law. Aba falls on September 1 and Okigwe freed on . Military of the former Nigerian secessionist state, Weapons and equipment used by Army and militias, "The Last Adventurer" by Steiner, Rolf (Boston:, Little, Brown 1978), "We are taking over Biafran territories starting from Anambra on May 30 BNG claims", "The Douglas A/B-26 Invader - Biafran Invaders", "All-Time Aircraft Used Listing | Biafran Air Force", Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy, "The military rifle cartridges of Nigeria", Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biafran_Armed_Forces&oldid=1140260283, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 07:08. Led by British-Nigerian Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), a group fighting for an independent state of Biafra wants the old eastern region of Nigeria to break away. [13], Biafra had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success of the air force. Its inhabitants were mostlyIgbo, who led the independence movement due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. But his family was delighted to see that the son and brother they assumed dead was alive. [a] Biafra received aid from non-state actors, including Joint Church Aid, Holy Ghost Fathers of Ireland,[2] and under their direction Caritas International,[3] and U.S. Catholic Relief Services. [11] Its early inventory included two B-25 Mitchells, two B-26 Invaders, (one piloted by Polish World War II ace Jan Zumbach, known also as John Brown),[12] a converted DC-3 and one Dove. In an attempt to stave off ethnic conflict, Nigerias Mid-West region was created in 1963 by dividing the Western region. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? We were being shelled from everywhere, she said, recalling the day Nigerian combatants reached the city. In a national broadcast, he said the decision was based on the belief that justice must at all times be tempered with mercy. On 26 May the Eastern Region voted to secede from Nigeria. [4], In course of the insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria of 2021, a separatist group known as "Biafran National Guard" (BNG) organized the "Biafran Supreme Military Council of Administration". [76], On 31 July 2020, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra / Biafra Independence Movement (BIM-MASSOB) joined theUnrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization(UNPO).[77][78]. His uncle, who was too old to flee town, was murdered, he says. Mr Oragwu wishes that the Igbo had paid less attention to the scramble for power at the centre, and instead distinguished their region by advancing the technological gains of the war. . It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. The point of no return was reached in January 1966, when, after the collapse of order in the west following the fraudulent election of October 1965, a group of army officers attempted to overthrow the federal government, and Balewa and two of the regional premiers were murdered. . [14] People in the region have described Biafra as the land directly adjacent to the Bight of Biafra and also an indigenous state, existing before European colonialism created such entities as Nigeria. "We thought we were magicians," said 76-year-old Mr Ago. Ms Nwanunobi joined the Biafran ministry of foreign affairs as part of a handful of translators who worked directly with Ojukwu. [34]There was no official support for the Biafran Army by any other nation throughout the war, although arms were clandestinely acquired. All Rights Reserved. I was bringing salt to Oguta, she recalled, and selling weed.. This led to months of massacres against the Igbo living in the north. On October 1, 1963, Nigeria became a republic, with Azikiwe as its president, although, as prime minister, Balewa remained more politically powerful. The Biafran War began in July 1966, and ended in 1970 after more than a million people had been killed, mostly from starvation. Conflicts were endemic, as regional leaders protected their privileges; the south complained of northern domination, and the north feared that the southern elite was bent on capturing power. But tragedy struck when Nigerian combatants launched an airstrike. Almost from all angles, the enemy was on the run after a short-lived resistance. He was an ambitious young military officer but this rebellious attitude led to his arrest after a failed plotted coup. Colonel Godfrey Nebo was an exceptionally tenacious commander. Emeritus Lecturer in the Modern History of Africa, University of Oxford; Emeritus Fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford. [31]Along with Igbo, there were a variety of other minority languages, includingEfik,Ogoni,Ijaw,Annang,Ibibio,Idoma,Igala, and others. Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, left, takes the oath of office shortly after a declaration of independence and the formation of the new state of Biafra on June 10, 1967. Prior to Kalu's celebrated career as an officer in the Biafran Army, he had been serving in the Nigerian Army since 1958. Its territory consisted of theEastern RegionofNigeria. Widespread reports of fraud tarnished the elections legitimacy. Nigerias new head of state, Brig. Now 50 years since the end of the war, some are still clamoring for the return of the republic. To underscore the disparity between how equipped the Nigerian Forces were during the war compared to Biafran Forces, herein is reproduced an emergency signal sent to the Biafran General Officer Commanding by Colonel Akagha of the 56 Brigade. [4] Mdecins Sans Frontires also originated in response to the suffering. [39]In 1968 theSwedishpilotCarl Gustaf von Rosensuggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. No gun, no bomb, no nothing. Eze was recalled to field operations when the situation in the war front was becoming hopeless and propaganda alone could not win the war. An early institution created by the Biafran government was the Bank of Biafra, accomplished under Decree No. It mainly operated in theNiger River deltaand along theNiger River. They only had knives and cutlasses. [57], MASSOB leader Chief Ralph Uwazuruike establishedRadio Biafrain theUnited Kingdomin 2009, withNnamdi Kanuas his radio director; later Kanu was said to have been dismissed from MASSOB because of accusations of supporting violence. [1] Contents 1 History 2 Army 3 Air wing 4 Navy 5 Weapons and equipment used by Army and militias 6 References 7 Bibliography History At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. By far, Eze would be remembered in history for his heroic war efforts in Biafra. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. "I think now that Ojukwu thought he was Jesus Christ. [20][21][22], In July1966, northern officers and army units staged a counter-coup. In May the Eastern regions consultative assembly authorized Ojukwu to establish a sovereign republic, while, at the same time, the federal military government promulgated a decree dividing the four regions into 12 states, including 6 in the north and 3 in the east, in an attempt to break the power of the regions. He was detained by Ojukwu until the end of the war following the fall of Uyo in 1968. And he had the distinction of having held out against all odds for 15 months in the face of furious onslaughts by federal troops. Dr. Toyin Falola is an African historian and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair Professor in the Humanities and a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. The RAP's most notable product was the "ogbunigwe", a weapons launcher of remarkable and devastating effect which influenced the outcome of many battles in Biafra's favour, according to historical reports. She sold her items to both residents and Biafran soldiers. The government has nothing to gain by reminding Nigerians that secession happened before and can be attempted again. The coup eventually took place in July, 1966. "Once his helicopter touched down, everybody went there and, practically, school shut down. Early inventory included fourWorld War IIAmerican bombers: twoB-25 Mitchells, twoB-26 Invaders(Douglas A-26) (one piloted by Zumbach),[37]a converted DouglasDC-3[38]and one Britishde Havilland Dove. Situation in this sector is definitely out of hand if not hopeless. Oguta town served as Biafra's major supply line for arms and relief material during the war. For most Nigerians, the war over the breakaway state of Biafra is generally regarded as an unfortunate episode best forgotten, but for the Igbo people who fought for secession, it remains a life-defining event. These aircraft flew missions until January1970 and were flown byPortugueseex-military pilots. "Somewhere in the middle of the war," he said, "the Biafrans made some dramatic successes that gave us hope that we might hold the Nigerians until at least some help from outside came.". If any meeting lasted more than two hours, he wouldn't be party to it.". Protests were held around the world and Bruce Mayrock, a student at Columbia University, set himself on fire at the United Nations headquarters in New York to protest the war in Biafra. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Here are list of Nigerian soldiers that pulled out to support Ojukwu's breakaway. [8] Federal projects in Biafra were also greatly reduced compared to other parts of Nigeria. By this time, we would have been competing with at least South Korea.". Biafras declaration of independence from Nigeria resulted in a civil war between Biafra and Nigeria. In September 1966,approximately 30,000 Igbo were killed in the north, and some Northerners were killed in backlashes in eastern cities. Most of the coup plotters were Igbo. Nwawo is the most senior officer in the entire people's army of Biafra, , he is also one of the most distinguished and highly decorated military officers in the country who died at 92 years of age. [54][55], The Nigerian federal government accuses MASSOB of violence; MASSOBs leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested in 2005 and was detained on treason charges. Ojukwu, the son of a wealthy businessman, studied history at Oxford University. The group enacted a re-launch of Biafra inAba, the commercial centre ofAbia Stateand a major commercial centre on Igbo land. Pregnant women were left behind by their husbands as they gave birth, she added. The territory of the Republic of Biafra is covered nowadays by the reorganizedNigerian statesofCross River,Ebonyi,Enugu,Anambra,Imo,Bayelsa,Rivers,Abia, andAkwa Ibom. The five planes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. Asked whether she harboured any resentment towards them, the businesswoman shook her head. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the President, of Igbo extraction, and the favored Western Region politicianObafemi Awolowowere not killed. People search the rubble following a bombing raid in Owerri in 1969.
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