Biafra was a secessionist state in southeastern Nigeria that existed from May 1967 to January 1970. The region was predominantly inhabited by the Igbo people who had been subjected to discrimination and marginalization by the Nigerian government dominated by the Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba ethnic groups.
In 1966, there was a military coup in Nigeria which resulted in the murder of several senior army officers from the North. This led to reprisals against Igbo people living in the North, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Igbo civilians. This event further fueled the demand for a separate state of Biafra.
On May 30, 1967, the Eastern Region, led by Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, declared independence from Nigeria, and the new republic was named Biafra. The Nigerian government responded by imposing a blockade on the region, which led to severe food shortages and malnutrition that killed thousands of civilians.
In 1968, the Nigerian army launched a military offensive against Biafra, which led to a three-year civil war. Despite initial gains made by Biafran forces, they were eventually defeated in 1970, and the Nigerian government resumed control of the region. It’s estimated that the war resulted in the deaths of as many as 3 million people, mostly from famine and disease.
The legacy of the Biafran war is still felt today in Nigeria, with many Igbo people feeling marginalized and excluded from the political and economic mainstream of the country.
