. Federal soldiers were advancing in full force and something had to be done. [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]. Gen. Yakubu Gowon, right, welcomes UN Secretary-General U Thant, left, as he arrives in Lagos to hold talks about the refugee crisis in the aftermath of the Biafran conflict on January 19, 1970. The Nigerian government at the time opposed secession, which ensued after failed talks on reconciliation. [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. Omissions? We who are about to die, salute you. July 31: France voices support for Ojukwu. The Military ranks of Biafra were the military insignia used by the Biafran Armed Forces between 1967 and 1970, when Biafra was defeated in the Nigerian Civil War. Not a single round of ammunition held while enemy pressure continues ceaselessly for the past 48 hours. In the first year of the war, the Nigerian government captured the coastal city of Port Harcourt and imposed a blockade, which cut food supplies to Biafra. Opinion: Why young Africans need to know their history. Ex-Biafran Army Chief of Staff, Madiebo, is dead He was then posted to Signal Corps of the Nigerian Army. Col. Aniebo was also one of the Biafran soldiers in 1967. Hunger killed more Biafrans than bullets and bombs. 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. . [11], During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. However, it is a period Okororie says she can never forget. She was teaching English and French in a secondary school in Port Harcourt in southern Nigeria when the civil war began. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? 2. We intend to stay on and make the supreme sacrifice. [40]The six airplanes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. [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. [39]In 1968 theSwedishpilotCarl Gustaf von Rosensuggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. The six planes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. Officials from different European countries travelled to meet Ojukwu to appeal for their release. [64], According to the South-East Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations, security forces under the directive of the federal government have killed 80members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and their supporters between 30August 2015 and 9February 2016 in arenewed clampdownon the campaign. When Nigeria declared war on Biafra, some soldiers visited my house while I was away, thinking I was a Biafra informant, he told CNN. The bomb fell on my older brothers house, Okororie said of the missile that missed its target, an adjacent military encampment. [32], The bank was first located in Enugu, but due to the ongoing war, it was relocated several times. The deaths of more than a million people in Nigeria as a result of the brutal civil war which ended exactly 50 years ago are a scar on the nation's history. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Author of. [28], The FMG attacked Biafra on 6July 1967. [7] 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),[8] a converted DC-3 and one Dove. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. On 17November 2015, the Abia state police command seized anIndigenous People of Biafraradio transmitter inUmuahia. The Bank of Nigeria exchanged only 30 pounds for an individual and 300 pounds for enterprises in the second half of 1968. Some Europeans served the Biafran cause: German born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade, and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a Major throughout the conflict. Is climate change killing Australian wine? [7] It was commanded by Brigadier Hillary Njoku[8] and later Major General Alexander Madiebo.[9]. No gun, no bomb, no nothing.". He collected his portion from an allocation of raw rice to his unit, then set off towards the village of a relative, where he suspected his parents and siblings would be holed up. Almost from all angles, the enemy was on the run after a short-lived resistance. In September1969, Biafra acquired four ex-FrenchNorth American T-6 Texans (T-6G), which were flown to Biafra the following month, with another aircraft lost on the ferry flight. "The Nigerians who were pursuing us were trained soldiers. [42]During the crisis,Frenchmedical volunteers, in addition to Biafran health workers and hospitals, were subjected to attacks by the Nigerian army and witnessed civilians being murdered and starved by the blockading forces. While the UK backed Nigeria, France was the most prominent supporter of Biafra. Biafran armed forces | Military Wiki | Fandom These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. 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. Nobody can fight a war like that.". The predominant language of Biafra wasIgbo. No. People search the rubble following a bombing raid in Owerri in 1969. Tens of thousands were killed while about a million fled to what was then known as the Eastern Region. A last-ditch effort to save the country was made in January 1967, when the Eastern delegation, led by Lieut. In a national broadcast, he said the decision was based on the belief that justice must at all times be tempered with mercy. "Without us, the war would have lasted only about 30 hours," said the 85-year-old. [53], In July 2006 theCenter for World Indigenous Studiesreported that government-sanctioned killings were taking place in the southeastern city ofOnitsha, because of a shoot-to-kill policy directed toward Biafrans, particularly members of the MASSOB. Charles W. Thomas defined the locations of islands in the Bight of Biafra as between the parallels of longitude 5 and 9 East and latitude 4 North and 2 South. He talks about his experience with international humanitarian law and the ICRC. [2] No official support for the Biafran Army came from any other nation, although arms were clandestinely acquired. Ojukwu declared independence for the Republic of Biafra in 1966 following a spate of violence that occurred in the north of Nigeria against Igbo people. It mainly operated in theNiger River deltaand along theNiger River. At the start of the war, they also became officers in Biafra. "That was the largest assembly we had," she recalled. As a Biafran soldier, he commanded the Biafran 63 Brigade in the Owerri sector. After running into unexpected resistance and facing many casualties, the right Nigerian column advanced to Nsukka, which was captured on the 14th of July. This led to months of massacres against the Igbo living in the north. But tragedy struck when Nigerian combatants launched an airstrike. During an enemy counter attack at Umuabayi, our troops destroyed a Saladine and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). But English was more widely spoken in Biafra, so translators were needed whenever French officials visited Ojukwu. [32] The new currency went public on 28 January 1968, and the Nigerian pound was not accepted as an exchange unit. . Their number led to speculations both in the Nigerian Armed Forces and Biafran Armed Forces about the existence of the Umuahian Mafia. We were drafted into the war, given two days' training. Because of this, the Biafrans manufactured many of their weapons locally. Evelyn Okororie was a trader in Port Harcourt, southeast Nigeria before the civil war broke out. The next day, two federal army officers were publicly executed for killing four Igbo civilians in Benin. The talks were largely unsuccessful in curbing the conflict between Biafra and Nigeria. Despite this division, the country still was segmented into three large geographic regions, each of which was essentially controlled by an ethnic group: the west by the Yoruba people, the east by the Igbo people, and the north by the Hausa-Fulani people. This he did from January 1957 to December 1958 when he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army. 2023 Cable News Network. Situation in this sector is definitely out of hand if not hopeless. Okororie says she abandoned her clothing business in Port-Harcourt city, where she resided before the start of the war and fled with her seven children to Oguta as Nigerian soldiers advanced on the city in the Biafran territory. It was said to be the worlds first televised war and the haunting images of starving children caught in a civil war shocked the world. Lambert Ihenacho, is known as a brilliant and resourceful officer in the Nigerian Army. Shortly thereafter, federal troops entered Enugu, the provisional capital of Biafra, and penetrated the Igbo heartland. Finally, members of Biafran National Guard, (BNG), were mostly comprised of United States Citizens, prior military Veterans, who had once sworn to protect and defend the United States of America, (meaning that we prior Military Veterans, and professional retired law enforcement officers had already volunteered to fight for any cause involving . [5], At the peak of Biafran military power, the Biafran Army was made of 5 divisions; numbered 11th, 12th, 13th (later renumbered 15th), 14th and 101st. 10 Thought Provoking Pictures from the Biafran War - Within Nigeria He retired as a Lt Col in the Nigerian Army around 1985 and later became chairman of the National Population Commission, Abuja. The BAF commander wasPolishWorld War IIaceJan Zumbach. Thereafter this is how Madiebo (page 263) reports Ezes main objective and final offensive to clear Ikot Ekpene, The operation started well and progressed very fast. 19-06-2014 Interview. 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. Along other commands held, Kalu was made commander of the Biafran 14th division with a strict orders in a letter written to him by Odumegwu Ojukwu. This became law in the Abandoned Properties Act (28 September 1979). 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. Owerri is now captured. Ojukwu flees his enclave. Photographs of the military Obasanjo, Jallo, Bissalo, Gowon. 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. [9] In an Intersociety study, it was found that Nigerian security forces also extorted approximately $100 million per year from illegal roadblocks and other methods from Igboland a cultural sub-region of Biafra in what is now southern Nigeria, causing greater mistrust of the Igbo citizenry towards the Nigerian security forces. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [2] Prior to Kalu's celebrated career as an officer in the Biafran Army, he had been serving in the Nigerian Army since 1958. A soldier in the ruins of the Onitsha market after it was gutted during fighting in the city on July 16, 1968. Wikizero - Military ranks of Biafra Gowon was able, through his own personal magnetism, to reconcile the two sides so that the former Biafran states were integrated into Nigeria once again and were not blamed for the Nigerian Civil War. Njoku, a lawyer is a connoisseur of Biafran War Literature. In the letter Ojukwu states: "Your role in the Port Harcourt disaster is still fresh in the minds of people. Nzeogwus Hausa colleagues in the Nigerian Army gave him the name Kaduna because of his love with the town. All Rights Reserved. In July 1966 northern officers staged a countercoup, Aguiyi-Ironsi was assassinated, and Lieut. Aba falls on September 1 and Okigwe freed on . During a stopover of several days in Lisbon, she heard that Biafra had surrendered. Prior to being a Biafran Army in May, 1967, Achuzie had been a soldier in the Nigerian Army. See Madiebo page 195. But now I know that heroes fight like Biafrans. 1966, led by Igbo junior Army officers, mostly majors and captains. The Northerners were at odds with this agreement that was known as theAburi Accords;Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of the Western Region warned that if the Eastern Region seceded, the Western Region would also, which persuaded the northerners.[23]. 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). All rights reserved. [32]The bank carried out all central banking functions including the administration of foreign exchange and the management of the public debt of the Republic. Chief Anthony Enahoro, right, head of the Nigerian delegation, at the opening session of the Nigerian-Biafra peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on August 6, 1968. The ex-general died on Friday. In early 1968 the Biafran army captured the city of Owerri at the Capture of Owerri. War exposure of mothers (but not fathers) has adverse impacts on child growth, survival, and education. 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. The findings are in line with the developmental origin of health and disease hypothesis suggesting that malnutrition in early life is a predisposing factor for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes later in life. Like her, Eyiche Adizua, a former technician, fled to Oguta during the civil war. He has since been released and has been rearrested and released more than five times. And he had the distinction of having held out against all odds for 15 months in the face of furious onslaughts by federal troops. [23], In January1967, the military leaders Gowon,Chukwuemeka Ojukwuand senior police officials of each region met inAburi, Ghana and agreed on a less centralized union of regions. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000. "The war gave the opportunity to reject the colonial design.". A high ranking military officer called Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the breakaway republic. To: Tactical Army Headquarters. (Recall that it was in a similar operation that Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu died in controversial circumstances). Peacemaking attempts by the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), the pope, and others were ineffective, and Biafra began gaining recognition from African states (Cte dIvoire,Gabon,Tanzania, andZambia). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Causes included battlefield deaths, ethnic cleansing, and starvation. Read about our approach to external linking. Main article:Nigerian Civil War, In 1960,Nigeriabecame independent of theUnited Kingdom. 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 . In the months preceding the war, Ojukwu often visited UNN, the only university in south-eastern Nigeria at the time, to meet with students and prepare them for secession. Along with numerous commands, in a letter sent to him by Odumegwu Ojukwu, Kalu was made an officer of the Biafran fourteenth division with strict orders. The commander of the army,General Aguiyi Ironsiseized power to maintain order. Please help before it is too late. From 1960 to 1961 he was at the Royal Signals Training School Catterick Camp, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. [7], During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. The Biafran Armed Forces (BAF) were the military of the secessionist state of Biafra which existed from 1967 until 1970. Most of the coup plotters were Igbo. There were other new entrants in Biafra like Lieutenant Achike Udenwa (who later became governor of Imo state). On October 1, 1963, Nigeria became a republic, with Azikiwe as its president, although, as prime minister, Balewa remained more politically powerful. A starving Biafran family during the famine resulting from the Biafran War. Read about our approach to external linking. Okororie says she wished she had died, too. PRELUDE The territory of the Republic of Biafra is covered nowadays by the reorganizedNigerian statesofCross River,Ebonyi,Enugu,Anambra,Imo,Bayelsa,Rivers,Abia, andAkwa Ibom. Updates? of the Biafran Army) to attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom. Nigerian Civil War - New World Encyclopedia Mr Ago looked forward to these visits, and joined the crowd who gathered at the university's Freedom Square. He returned to Nigeria in 1955 after his graduation and later joined the army where he was eventually appointed military governor of the eastern region of Nigeria, mostly inhabited by Igbo people. These events sparked the decision to secede, spearheaded by Ojukwu, who was then the military governor of the Eastern Region. Biafran soldiers advance towards a Nigerian army position in June 1968. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Senate President: Why my vote is for Orji Kalu. A newspaper article describes the event: At Jos in 1945, a sudden and savage attack by Northerners took the Easterners completely by surprise, and before the situation could be brought under control, the bodies of Eastern women, men, and children littered the streets and their property worth thousands of pounds reduced to shambles[17], Three hundred Igbo people died in the Jos riot. Impacts vary with the age of exposure. [51]Since August1999, protests have erupted in cities across Nigerias south-east. The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 - 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967. The southern population is predominantlyChristian, being primarily made up of territory of the indigenousYorubaand Biafra kingdoms in the West and East respectively. Gen. Murtala Ramat Mohammed, initiated many changes during his brief time in office: he began the process of moving the federal capital to Abuja, addressed the issue of government inefficiency, and initiated the process for a return to civilian control. Other nations, which did not give official recognition but provided support and assistance to Biafra, included France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Rhodesia, South Africa, and Vatican City. During the meeting, Mrs Nwanunobi conveyed to Ojukwu that he stood the risk of losing European support. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000. [32], It is estimated that a total of 115140million Biafran pounds were in circulation by the end of the conflict, with a population of about 14million, approximately 10per person.[32]. Photo by Chika Oduah. However, he had gone to help out at the Nsukka Sector when war broke out at Calabar. After returning to Nigeria, the federal government reneged on the agreement and unilaterally declared the creation of several new states including some that gerrymandered the Igbos in Biafra. History of the Biafra | Civil War | Law - IPOB | Naijabiography After his release in 1967, he was asked to go into battle on the side of the Biafrans where he was promoted to the rank of a Biafran Lt.colonel but he got killed in an ambush. [1], At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. But at some point, the Nigerian army invaded Oguta, leading a blockade and preventing relief materials from getting into Biafra, and as a result, hundreds of people died of starvation. 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. Location: Helsinki, HK 00100Email: info@enterbiafra.comPhone: +358 50 318 8631. [71][72]BNYL, which operates more in the riverine areas, has links with Dokubo Asari, a former militant leader, about 100members of the group were reportedly arrested in Bayelsa during meeting with Dokubo on 18August 2019. "I had to carry the rice while starving myself, carrying it across rivers and forests until I found them," he said. The latter posed as high command of the restored Biafran Armed Forces, including the "Biafran Army, Biafran Navy, Biafran Air-Force and Biafran Detective Force". Timeline: Biafra War In Key Dates - Channels Television [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. [66]The Nigerian military killed at least 17unarmed Biafrans in the city ofOnitshaprior to a march on 30May 2016 commemorating the 49th anniversary of Biafras 1967 declaration of independence. [9]In 1953 a similar riot occurred inKanolater. 10 Soldiers Who Pulled Out From The Federal Army To Fight For Biafra He also remembers the last year of the war when his unit was continuously on the move, fleeing the advancing Nigerian army. In February 1956, he joined the Officer Cadet Training at R.O.S.T.S., Teshie, Accra, Ghana till September 1956. Biafran.org | "Land of Freedom - Because of the Braves" Following a UN-supervised referendum in 1961, the northern part of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons joined Nigerias Northern region, while in October the Southern Cameroons united with Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. [62][63]Self-determination is not a crime in Nigerian law. Biafran Army Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Page not found Instagram "I think now that Ojukwu thought he was Jesus Christ. [4] Mdecins Sans Frontires also originated in response to the suffering. The Easterners felt alienated from the Nigerian government which was dominated by the Northerners. The Biafran Armed Forces ( BAF) were the military of the secessionist state of Biafra which existed from 1967 until 1970. At the outbreak of hostilities in July 1967 that marked the beginning of the Nigerian Biafran war, Aghanya was commissioned into the Biafran Army with the rank of Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the 44th Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Battalion Biafran Army by the then Chief of Staff Biafran Army, Brigadier Hillary Njoku. But fearing for his safety, he decided not to return to his former location. As he told me himself in 2007, If a true and complete account of the civil war on the Biafran side is to be rendered, I (Eze) Madiebo and Ojukwu are the three people who can sit down together and jointly write such a book. 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. It mainly operated in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River.[10]. As with many other new African states, the borders of the country did not reflect earlier ethnic, cultural, religious, or political boundaries. Ogbugo Kalu, a retired military officer who passed away in February 2004, served in both the Nigerian Army and the Biafran Army. Nigerians in the capital city of Lagos cheer the surrender of the Biafran forces on January 12, 1970. Nigeria History: The Biafra Midwest Invasion of 1967 - NewsRescue These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. Most of the officers were students or educated civilians drafted into the Biafran Army and given a few days of training and poor military gear. They were coloured green, were able to carry six 68mm anti-armour rockets under each wing using simple sights. [60][61]On 23December 2015, Kanu was detained and charged with charges that amounting to treason against the Nigerian state. On May 30, 1967, Ojukwu declared the secession of the three states of the Eastern region under the name of the Republic of Biafra, which Nigerias federal government interpreted as an act of rebellion. Young Biafran soldiers inspect an unexploded shell in June 1968. Jubilant Biafran soldiers celebrate on top of a destroyed Nigerian army armored personnel carrier. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve.