Nigerian Civil War
The Biafran War (1967–1970), including causes, battles, leaders, international involvement, and post-war reconstruction in Nigeria.
Angelica Oyediran and the Quiet Work of Returning Biafra’s Displaced Children
Angelica Yewande Oyediran was born into one of Lagos’ most historically significant families. She was a granddaughter of Chief Candido Joao Da Rocha, a...
Adekunle Fajuyi and the July 1966 Crisis
In the early hours of 29 July 1966, Nigeria stood on the edge of collapse. Just months after the first military coup had ended...
Why Ojukwu Declared Biafra After Killings, Fear, and the Collapse of Nigeria’s First Union
Nigeria did not arrive at the declaration of Biafra through a single event. The break came after months of violence, fear, mistrust, and political...
The Nigerian Civil War and Why Its Memory Still Divides Nigeria
The Nigerian Civil War is often reduced to a short summary, a war fought between federal Nigeria and the secessionist Republic of Biafra from...
Why Many in Eastern Nigeria Stopped Believing Nigeria Could Protect Them After 1966
By the mid 1960s, Nigeria was still a young country trying to hold together very different regions, political traditions, and elite rivalries. Independence had...
The Igbo Pogroms of 1966
By 1966, Nigeria was already in serious trouble. Independence had not resolved the rivalry between the country’s powerful regions, and politics had become increasingly...
Aburi 1967, The Final Negotiation That Could Not Save Nigeria from Civil War
By the time Nigeria’s military leaders arrived in Aburi on 4 and 5 January 1967, the country had already passed through a year of...
Why Starvation Became the Most Enduring Symbol of the Biafra War
The Nigerian Civil War is remembered for secession, battlefield losses, and the struggle over the future of Nigeria, but in public memory one image...
The East Was There at Nigeria’s Founding, But the Crisis of 1966 Broke the Trust That Held the Union Together
The story of Nigeria’s independence is often retold through memory shaped by later events. Yet, in the years leading up to independence, the Eastern...
Before Aburi, Nigeria Was Already in Deep Crisis
The Aburi meeting of 4 and 5 January 1967 stands as one of the most important moments in Nigeria’s early post independence history. It...