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Poster by the American Committee to Keep Biafra Alive. Biafra attracted a large amount of international attention from mid-1968, when images of starving Biafran children began to appear in the international press. [13] [14] Biafran propaganda compared Igbo to Jews and the blockade of Biafra to the Holocaust.
Biafra (/ b i ˈ æ f r ə / bee-AF-rə), [4] officially the Republic of Biafra, [5] was a partially recognised state in West Africa [6] [7] that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. [8] Its territory consisted of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria, predominantly inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group. [1]
Biafra began the war with only 230 soldiers at Enugu, which grew to two battalions by August 1967, which soon were expanded into two brigades, the 51st and 52nd which became the core of the Biafran Army. [132] By 1969, the Biafrans were to field 90,000 soldiers formed into five undermanned divisions together with a number of independent units ...
African theatre of World War I (1914–1918) ... Capitulation of Biafra; Second Nigerian Republic (1977–1991) Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result; Shaba I
On 30 May 1967, when the Igbos declared their independence from Nigeria and formed the breakaway state of Biafra, [47] the Nigerian and British governments launched a total blockade of Biafra. [48] Initially on the offensive, Biafra began to suffer and its government frequently had to move because the Nigerian army kept on conquering its ...
Nigerian forces also gained control of the city's airport, which was used as a forward base to stage air raids into Biafra's interior. [6] The day after Port Harcourt's seizure, Gen. Adekunle said his famous announcement "I will be able to capture Owerri , Aba , and Umuahia in 2 weeks". [ 7 ]
Relief aid into Biafra began arriving by land, sea, and air soon after the start of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967. Reports of widespread famine began emerging, many from NGOs participating in the relief aid efforts. Relief flights ramped up after Nigeria's land and sea blockade of Biafra became near-total in June 1968.
The First Invasion of Onitsha (October 4 − October 12, 1967) was a battle and military offensive fought during the Nigerian Civil War between Biafran and Nigerian forces. . The Nigerian Army's 2nd Division managed to seize control of Onitsha for less than a day before being pushed out and crushed by Biafran soldie