PART A:
The formerly secret files on the Nigerian civil war in the late 1960s show very clear British complicity in the Nigerian government’s aggression against the region of Biafra, where an independence movement was struggling to secede from Nigeria. This brutal civil war resulted in between one and three million deaths; it also significantly helped shape modern Nigeria, and not least the division of oil revenues between the central government and the regions and people.

Background to civil war

For those in Britain old enough to remember the war in Nigeria in the late 1960s, ‘Biafra’ probably still conjures up images of starving children – the result of the blockade imposed by the Nigerian government in Lagos to defeat the secession of the eastern region, Biafra. For Biafrans themselves, the period was one of immense suffering – it is still not known how many died at this time as a direct result of the war and the blockade, but it is believed to be at least one million and as high as three million.

For those seeking to understand Britain’s role in the world, there is now an important side of the Biafran story to add – British complicity in the slaughter. The declassified files show that the then Wilson government backed the Nigerian government all the way, arming its aggression and apologising for its actions. It is one of the sorrier stories in British foreign policy, though by no means unusual.

The immediate background to the war was a complex one of tensions and violence between Nigeria’s regions and ethnic groups, especially between those from the east and the north. In January 1966 army officers had attempted to seize power and the conspirators, most of whom were Ibos (from the East) assassinated several leading political figures as well as officers of northern origin. Army commander Major General Ironsi, also an Ibo, intervened to restore discipline in the army, suspended the constitution, banned political parties, formed a Federal Military Government (FMG) and appointed military governors to each of Nigeria’s regions.

Ironsi’s decree in March 1966, which abolished the Nigerian federation and unified the federal and regional civil services, was perceived by many not as an effort to establish a unitary government but as a plot by the Ibo to dominate Nigeria. Troops of northern origin, who dominated the Nigerian infantry, became increasingly restive and fighting broke out between them and Ibo soldiers in garrisons in the south. In June, mobs in northern cities, aided by local officials, carried out a pogrom against resident Ibos, massacring several hundred people and destroying Ibo-owned property.

It was in this context that in July 1966 northern officers staged a countercoup during which Ironsi and other Ibo officers were killed. Lieutenant Colonel (later General) Yakubu ‘Jack’ Gowon emerged as leader. The aim of the coup was both to take revenge on the Ibos for the coup in January but also to promote the secession of the north, although Gowon soon pulled back from calling explicitly for this. Gowon named himself as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and head of the military government, which was rejected by the military governor in the eastern region, Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu, who claimed, with some justification, that the Gowon regime was illegitimate.

Throughout late 1966 and 1967 the tempo of violence increased. In September 1966 attacks on Ibos in the north were renewed with unprecedented ferocity, stirred up, eastern region officials believed, by northern political leaders. Reports circulated that troops from the northern region had participated in the massacres. The estimated number of deaths ranged from 10,000 to as high as 30,000. More than one million Ibos returned to the eastern region in fear.

In January 1967 the military leaders met in Aburi, Ghana. By this time the eastern region under Ojukwu was threatening secession. Many of Ojukwu’s eastern colleagues were now arguing that the massacres the previous September showed that the country could not be reunited amicably. In a last minute effort at Aburi to hold Nigeria together, an accord was agreed that provided for a loose confederation of regions. Gowon issued a decree implementing the Aburi agreement and even the northern region now favoured the formation of a multistate federation. The federal civil service, however, vigorously opposed the Aburi agreement and sought to scupper it.

Ojukwu and Gowon then disputed what exactly had been agreed at Aburi, especially after the Federal Military Government (FMG) issued a further decree in March which was seen by Ojukwu as reneging on the FMG’s commitment at Aburi to give the eastern region greater autonomy. The new decree gave the federal government the right to declare a state of emergency in any region and to ensure that any regional government could not undermine the executive authority of the federal government. Ojukwu then gave an ultimatum to Gowon that the eastern region would begin implementing its understanding of the Aburi agreement, providing for greater regional autonomy, by 31 March.

While Biafra was threatening to secede and declare an independent state, the FMG imposed sanctions against it to bring it into line. On 26 May the eastern region consultative assembly voted to secede from Nigeria and the following day Gowon declared a state of emergency throughout the country, banned political activity and announced a decree restoring full powers to the FMG. Also announced was a decree dividing the country into twelve states, including six in the north and three in the east.

On 30 May 1967 Biafra declared independence and on 7 July the FMG began operations to defeat it. It lasted until January 1970 as an extremely well-equipped Nigerian federal army of over 85,000 men supplied by Britain, the Soviet Union and few others, took on a volunteer Biafran army, much of whose equipment initially came from captured Nigerian supplies and which only later was able to procure relatively small quantities of arms from outside.

The background is therefore very complex and it remains far from clear cut as to where the ‘blame’ lay for the failure of peaceful negotiations and the resort to war. It does appear, however, that the FMG did go back on its agreement at Aburi on the extent of regional autonomy it was prepared to offer the easterners. Before they began to back the FMG unequivocally once war began, British officials had previously recognised the legitimacy of some of Ojukwu’s claims. The High British Commissioner in Lagos, Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce, had told Gowon in November 1966, for example, that the September 1966 massacres of the Ibos in the north ‘changed the relationship between the regions and made it impossible for eastern Nigerians to associate with northerners on the same basis as in the past’. The issue was one of basic ‘law and order and physical safety throughout the federation’. He told Gowon that the FMG had to go ‘a considerable distance to meet the views of Colonel Ojukwu’.

British officials also recognised that the Aburi agreements were ‘extremely woolly on many important points and lend themselves to infinite arguments over interpretation’. By end January 1967 Cumming-Bruce was saying that both Gowon and Ojuwku were ‘seriously at fault and they share responsibility for poisoning of atmosphere [sic]’.

Then there was the wider question of whether it was legitimate for a region to secede and whether Biafra should have been allowed to establish its independence. Again, a lot of complex issues are involved. British officials feared that if Biafra were to secede many other regions in Africa would too, threatening ‘stability’ across the whole of the continent. Most of the great powers, including the US and Soviet Union, shared this view largely for the same reason.

Yet there appears to be no reason why Biafra, with its 15 million people, could not have established a viable, independent state. Biafrans argued that they were a people with a distinctive language and culture, that they were Christian as opposed to the Muslim communities lumped into the Nigeria federal state, which had, after all, been a colonial creation. In fact, Biafra was also one of the most developed regions in Africa with a high density of roads, schools, hospitals and factories. The struggle for an independent state certainly appeared to have the support of the majority of Biafrans, whose sense of nationhood deepened throughout the war as enormous sacrifices were made to contribute to the war effort.

...

Nigeria is a criminal nation, while they allowed northern cameroon to secede, they killed 3million igbos for attempting to secede. Murderers.

vanunu:
Nigeria is a criminal nation, while they allowed northern cameroon to secede, they killed 3million igbos for attempting to secede. Murderers.

lol

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.

M

Pinch of salt

vanunu:
Nigeria is a criminal nation, while they allowed northern cameroon to secede, they killed 3million igbos for attempting to secede. Murderers.

Then it's not a nation.

Truckpusher:
~

Ha ha ha ha ha, na you sabi. That post will get me into trouble soon.

Obiagelli:
Pinch my breast

fixed

.

kabo:
Source:

https://markcurtis./2007/02/13/nigeriabiafra-1967-70/

Well done, Mark Curtis ia a seasoned author with a class who happened to be an expert in British Foreign Policies and the Espionage world. I have read his book, Unpeople.

on top all these Ojukwu say he cannot bow to the central government abi because of Aburi Accord? Everybody knows that all is fair in Love and War. For the record only the dead have seen the end of war!

Can we all please move on

vanunu:
Nigeria is a criminal nation, while they allowed northern cameroon to secede, they killed 3million igbos for attempting to secede. Murderers.

If Igbo's were not selfish and self centered to kill sadauna of sokoto and other northerners to pave way for January 1966 coup, all these wouldn't have happened. The very selfish demonic plans of igbos in January sowed the seed for northern violence against Igbo's. Before the nzeogwi-ironsi coup, there was nothing like violence against Igbo's and Nigeria was also at peace. Nzeogwu and co's decision to stage a coup sowed the seed for tribalism and ethnical violence in Nigeria.

wadetaw202:


If Igbo's were not selfish and self centered to kill sadauna of sokoto and other northerners to pave way for January 1966 coup, all these wouldn't have happened. The very selfish demonic plans of igbos in January sowed the seed for northern violence against Igbo's. Before the nzeogwi-ironsi coup, there was nothing like violence against Igbo's and Nigeria was also at peace. Nzeogwu and co's decision to stage a coup sowed the seed for tribalism and ethnical violence in Nigeria.

Ok. Igbo officer killed sadurna so why cant hausa officers kill Azikiwe or Ironsi and leave ordinary igbos on d streets alone? Did any innocent hausa on d street get killed during Nzeogwu coup?

basilo101:

Ok. Igbo officer killed sadurna so why cant hausa officers kill Azikiwe or Ironsi and leave ordinary igbos on d streets alone? Did any innocent hausa on d street get killed during Nzeogwu coup?

Don't try to make excuses for selfish, self-centered and greedy outlooks of nzeogwu, ironsi et al. They shouldn't have been greedy in the first place. If they didn't do what they did, Nigeria would have been a peaceful country by now and maybe no Yoruba would have raised any eyebrow if igbos win elections in Lagos state. But that singular act by nzeogwu, ironsi and later ojukwu has raised suspicion about igbos and their motives.

ki02020:
Can we all please move on

Until your family is wiped out leaving only you to tell the story, then you will know how it feels.

Without repentance and apology, there is no forgiveness for genocide.

Go ask Israel and why the Holocaust remembrance day?

I THOUGHT THE NIG*RIA AMALGAMATION IS MEANT FOR 100 YEARS (1914 - 2014).
THIS IS THE YEAR TO DECIDE WHETHER NIG*RIA IS TO CONTINUE BY THE MASSESS AND NOT BY ANY POLITICAL LEADER. FOR PEACE TO REIGN.

Kill urself

IsraeliAIRFORCE:


Until your family is wiped out leaving only you to tell the story, then you will know how it feels.

Without repentance and apology, there is no forgiveness for genocide.

Go ask Israel and why the Holocaust remembrance day?

is this not the part where u think we give a fucck?

The Biafra Are naturally ahead that is just The truth

I am yet to come to terms on why the other part of the country will not allow these people to simply go away and form their 'Isreal' in Africa. Each time they have an opportunity the maim the North and destroy its essence- a study case is the proxy war on Boko haram where Ihejirika led the army to kill General Shuwa, destroyed the largest cattle market in Africa(Potiskum), destroyed the largest fishery market in Africa(Bama) and thousands of innocent civillians all in the name of fighting boko haram. I have started telling my Northern friends that if the present elite refuses to devide this country, we shall do that during our time. Buhari should just stablise the Northern economy and let us seperate. If the Northern elites did not seperate this country at the apropriate time;one day they will slip into power like GEJ and also look for an opportunity to destroy any development we have achieved. Every body in the North seems to be in total darkness about boko haram. So is not a rocket science that someone is truly behind it- and who could that be order than the people in power who have shown such desdain to the North. They have done that before, did it now and shall be happy to do it again. Just imagine the amount of destruction that happened to the North and all these people could do is to blame the North for salvating themselves by voting out the 'plague'. The seperation I shall scheme for as long as i live. Proudly Arewa.

I will download the document and read the article

g

hahahahaha can't stop laughing