CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Okororie wasnt affected by the monetary policy as she had taken out all her money from the bank at the start of the war and, thus, had Nigerian pounds to convert to the new Nigerian currency, the naira. Colonel Robert Akonobi commanded the Biafran 57 Brigade. [52], On 29 May 2000, the Lagos Guardian newspaper reported that the now ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo commuted to the retirement of the dismissal of all military persons, soldiers and officers, who fought for the breakaway Republic of Biafra during Nigerias 19671970 civil war. 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. Eze was recalled to field operations when the situation in the war front was becoming hopeless and propaganda alone could not win the war. "That was the largest assembly we had," she recalled. [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. 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 . Despite his breakaway action, Ojukwu was accorded the highest military accolade and a funeral parade in Abuja. It was carried out by the 61 Brigade under Major Okeke. The Nigerian government at the time opposed secession, which ensued after failed talks on reconciliation. [13] In his personal writings from his travels, a Rev. Because of this, the Biafrans manufactured many of their weapons locally. So, the propaganda of sabotage was sustained against Eze and others in order not to demoralize the civilian populace. I told them I wont work in Lagos, so they posted me to Oji River [in Enugu].. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 manned by Portuguese ex-military pilots. Mr Ago left the army and went in search of his family, whom he had not heard from in more than two years. [36], The international humanitarian organisationMdecins Sans Frontiresoriginated in response to the suffering in Biafra. When the university was reopened a few months after the war ended, Mr Ago returned to UNN, eventually graduating with a degree in plant and soil science. After it ended, markets, schools, homes, and lives devastated by bombs and bullets had to be rebuilt. Owerri is now captured. After he was officially pardoned by the Nigerian government, he returned in 1982, with multitudes pouring onto the streets of his home state of Anambra to welcome him. Jubilant Biafran soldiers celebrate on top of a destroyed Nigerian army armored personnel carrier. Achuzie is a prominent figure in Nigerian politics, even though he was arrested along side with some other Biafran soldiers who broadcasted their final surrender to General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1970. Their number led to speculations both in the Nigerian Armed Forces and Biafran Armed Forces about the existence of the Umuahian Mafia. France provided weapons to Biafra, while the U.K. and the Soviet Union sent arms to the federal government. 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. An estimated 2,000 demonstrators presented the French ambassador with a letter protesting French assistance to Biafra. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Ojukwu who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Nigerian Army then became the General of the Biafran army. A soldier in the ruins of the Onitsha market after it was gutted during fighting in the city on July 16, 1968. "He had this incredible sense of humour. He was one of the few Nigerian Military Officers of his time like Yakubu Gowon (who later became Head of State) and Alexander Madiebo (who later became the General Officer Commanding (G.O.C.) Thereafter he was posted to Congo from February 1961 to August 1961 and was Commander of Nigerian Army Signal from 1964 to 1966. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armored civilian vessels armed with machine guns, or captured 6-pounder guns. 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. [48]MASSOB says it is a peaceful group and advertises a 25stage plan to achieve its goal peacefully. During Nigeria's civil war, he was a young officer in the Biafran army. 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. By October1967, the FMG had regained the land after intense fighting. Mrs Nwanunobi met Ojukwu for the last time on 23 December 1969, when she lined up outside his office with her colleagues, to receive a Christmas gift and a handshake from him. "I think we would have done better if we had handled it with a little bit more intelligence," said Mr Ago. "Once his helicopter touched down, everybody went there and, practically, school shut down. 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). [26] A large amount of oil in the region also created conflict, as oil was already becoming a major component of the Nigerian economy. Like her, Eyiche Adizua, a former technician, fled to Oguta during the civil war. The five planes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. . 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. "That is what makes me sad. Nobody can fight a war like that.". Beatles singer John Lennon returned his MBE in a protest over Britains foreign policy, which included Biafra and the Vietnam war. Biafra was formally recognised by Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Zambia. But his family was delighted to see that the son and brother they assumed dead was alive. but at the end of the war, the soldiers totalled 30,000. 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. A high ranking military officer called Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the breakaway republic. During the meeting, Mrs Nwanunobi conveyed to Ojukwu that he stood the risk of losing European support. 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. [16][23][25] It is believed this was one of the major factors that sparked the war. The Biafran Armed Forces (BAF) were the military of the secessionist state of Biafra which existed from 1967 until 1970. [54][55], The Nigerian federal government accuses MASSOB of violence; MASSOBs leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested in 2005 and was detained on treason charges. of the Biafran Army) to attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom. All Rights Reserved. In September 1969, Biafra acquired four ex-Armee de l'Air North American T-6Gs, which were flown to Biafra the following month, with another T-6 lost on the ferry flight. At the start of the war, they also became officers in Biafra. [32], In 1969 new notes were introduced:10, 5, 1, 10/-and 5/-. These were people who were doing all sorts of things and the war forced them out of their positions.". It was during one of Okorories trips to the market that her brothers house was bombed. 140 Biafran Army Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights Custom Content EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING BOARDS CART SIGN IN Editorial Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports 0 likes, 0 comments - GOGAN TV (@gogantv) on Instagram: "The Indigenous People of Biafra has denied the claims by the Nigerian military that they invaded ." At the beginning of the war Biafra had 3,000soldiers, but at the end of the war, the soldiers totalled 30,000. Evelyn Okororie was a trader in Port Harcourt, southeast Nigeria before the civil war broke out. Photo by Chika Oduah. Commander for GOC. War exposure of mothers (but not fathers) has adverse impacts on child growth, survival, and education. New Nigerian newspaper page, 7January 1970. [7], During the war, Biafra tried to acquire jets. While the UK backed Nigeria, France was the most prominent supporter of Biafra. But tragedy struck when Nigerian combatants launched an airstrike. In an attempt to stave off ethnic conflict, Nigerias Mid-West region was created in 1963 by dividing the Western region. He was behind the setting up of four universities of science and technology in different regions of Nigeria and after retirement he published Scientific and Technological Innovations in Biafra, a book he hoped would inspire young Nigerians. The Biafran War began in July 1966, and ended in 1970 after more than a million people had been killed, mostly from starvation. He was an ambitious young military officer but this rebellious attitude led to his arrest after a failed plotted coup. Lt Col. Ojukwu inspects Biafran troops on June 11, 1968. 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. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armor-reinforced civilian vessels armed with machine guns or captured6-pounder guns. 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. [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. This was because troops of 62 Brigade who were to clear the right half of the town, were yet to arrive. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. However, their brilliant performance helped the Biafran army in the war that lasted till 1970. He had just finished grammar school and started training as a veterinary assistant at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in south-eastern Nigeria, when the civil war began. In the aftermath of the war, the Nigerian government did not want to impose any form of collective punishment. Biafran conflict: A grandmother's perspective on the war. January 1966 - Nigerian government overthrown in what was seen as an "Igbo coup" led by junior army officers, January 1966 - Lt Col Odumegwu-Ojukwu appointed military governor of Eastern Region, July 1966 - Second coup masterminded by Murtala Muhammed, Lt Col Yakubu Gowon becomes head of state, June to October 1966 - Riots in northern Nigeria targeted at Igbos, killing many and forcing up to a million to return to south-eastern Nigeria, May 1967 - Ojukwu declares independence of the Republic of Biafra, October 1967 - Biafran capital Enugu falls, May 1968 - Nigeria captures oil-rich Port Harcourt, April 1969 - Umuahia, new Biafran capital falls to Nigerian forces. A decade later in 1964 and during the Western political crisis[18]divided the Western Region asLadoke Akintolaclashed withObafemi Awolowo. 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. During an enemy counter attack at Umuabayi, our troops destroyed a Saladine and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). The two coups deepened Nigerias ethnic tensions. And he had the distinction of having held out against all odds for 15 months in the face of furious onslaughts by federal troops. Updates? 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. Needless to say that never happened. The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Okororie recalls that she and her seven children had taken refuge in Oguta, a lakeside town near a local airport, which served as Biafras major supply line for arms and relief materials from international charities. This coup resulted in General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo and head of the Nigerian Army, taking power as President, becoming the first military head of state in Nigeria. This number grew as the war progressed, ultimately reaching 30,000. The meeting did not end. [34]There was no official support for the Biafran Army by any other nation throughout the war, although arms were clandestinely acquired. Most of the coup plotters were Igbo. 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. Ogbugo Kalu. There were other new entrants in Biafra like Lieutenant Achike Udenwa (who later became governor of Imo state). "The Last Adventurer" by Steiner, Rolf (Boston:, Little, Brown 1978), Chinese-made weapons may have come from Zambia or Tanzania (, http://www.canit.se/~griffon/aviation/text/biafra.htm, "The Douglas A/B-26 Invader - Biafran Invaders", https://web.archive.org/web/20130509094109/http://vectaris.net/id307.html, Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy, http://www.marinavasca.eu/en/ficha-otras-marinas-auxiliares.php?id=49&o=, https://books.google.fr/books?id=o50VqaPTWkoC, Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. One united Nigeria is better.. Estimates of the number of dead from fighting, disease and starvation during the 30-month civil war are estimated at between. [65]A report byAmnesty Internationalbetween August2015 and August2016, at least 150 pro-Biafran activists overall were killed by Nigerian security forces, with 60 people shot in a period of two days in connection with events marking Biafran Remembrance Day. [1], At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. Please help before it is too late. After Nigeria announced its currency would no longer be legal tender (to make way for a new currency), this effort increased. A retired general of the Biafran Army presents a post-mortem account of the events of the Nigerian civil war, 1966-70. 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. Nzeogwus Hausa colleagues in the Nigerian Army gave him the name Kaduna because of his love with the town. [40]The six airplanes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. "And he was disciplined. "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.". The southern population is predominantlyChristian, being primarily made up of territory of the indigenousYorubaand Biafra kingdoms in the West and East respectively. 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 . 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. Despite the Biafran Army being poorly trained and lack modern weapons, they're still determined to fight. Colonel Odumegwu-Ojukwu declared Eastern Nigeria a sovereign state to be known as BIAFRA after the Nigerian military leadership peace conference hosted by General Joseph Ankrah in January, 1967, in Aburi, Ghana. The blockade against Biafra made essential commodities scarce, forcing women to make the treacherous two-day journey on foot to Afia Attack, a trading post behind enemy lines in Midwestern Nigeria. Ojukwu fled to Cte dIvoire on January 11, 1970, and a Biafran deputation formally surrendered in Lagos four days later. At the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra had 3,000 soldiers. 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. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt, and was commanded by Winifred Anuku. [35]A special guerrilla unit, the Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters, was established, designed to emulate the insurrectionist guerilla forces of theViet Congin theAmerican Vietnamese War, targeting Nigerian Federal Army supply lines and forcing them to shift forces to internal security efforts. Because of the lack of official support, the Biafrans manufactured many of their weapons locally. [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.
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