The Nigerian Civil War, often called the Biafran War, was fought between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the secessionist Republic of Biafra from 6 July 1967 to 15 January 1970. It arose from political instability, ethnic tensions, and economic inequalities that deepened after Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960.
Following two military coups in 1966 and widespread massacres of Igbo people in Northern Nigeria, the Eastern Region under Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared independence as the Republic of Biafra on 30 May 1967. In response, the Nigerian federal government under General Yakubu Gowon launched a military campaign to prevent secession, triggering a three-year conflict that caused over a million civilian deaths, mostly from starvation and disease.
Outbreak of War and the Civilian Experience
From the war’s outset, civilians in the Eastern Region faced immense hardship. Federal forces advanced from the north and south, capturing key towns including Nsukka, Enugu, Aba, and Onitsha. The fall of these cities forced millions of residents to flee into rural areas. A federal blockade cut off food and medical supplies to Biafran territories, leading to one of the worst humanitarian crises in postcolonial Africa.
Women and children bore the brunt of displacement. Many trekked long distances through forests and farmlands, moving mostly at night to avoid bombardment. Oral testimonies collected after the war describe mothers walking for days with infants strapped to their backs, surviving on meagre food rations, and finding refuge in makeshift camps or abandoned compounds.
One such story, representative rather than individual, tells of a mother from Nsukka who fled after federal troops entered her community in late 1968. She joined a group of villagers escaping under cover of darkness, travelling through bush paths toward Eha-Amufu and Udi. These areas, under temporary Biafran control, became safe corridors for civilians fleeing the warfront. Their journey was fraught with hunger, disease, and exhaustion, reflecting the broader experience of millions who endured similar ordeals.
Humanitarian Crisis and International Relief
By mid-1968, the situation in Biafra had deteriorated into a full-scale humanitarian disaster. The Nigerian government’s blockade, intended to force Biafra’s surrender, prevented food, fuel, and medical aid from reaching civilians. Malnutrition, particularly among children, became widespread, and diseases such as kwashiorkor claimed thousands of lives weekly.
The international community responded with unprecedented relief efforts. Organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Caritas International, and the World Council of Churches coordinated emergency airlifts of food and medical supplies into Biafra through Uli Airstrip, one of the few functioning runways in the secessionist enclave. Despite frequent bombings and dangerous conditions, these humanitarian flights saved countless lives.
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Biafran authorities established refugee camps to accommodate displaced persons. Testimonies recorded by aid workers indicate that many women, including mothers with children, survived primarily through the distribution of relief food such as milk, fish powder, and high-protein biscuits supplied by international agencies.
Key Figures and Political Decisions
The war’s progression was defined by the leadership and decisions of both the Biafran and Federal governments.
- Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Biafra’s Head of State, justified secession as a means to protect Eastern Nigerians from ethnic persecution. His administration focused on self-sufficiency, creating local industries to sustain the war effort, though shortages and isolation limited success.
- General Yakubu Gowon, leading the Federal Military Government, maintained that preserving national unity was paramount. The federal strategy combined military offensives with propaganda and diplomatic pressure to isolate Biafra internationally.
Foreign powers also influenced the conflict. Britain, Nigeria’s former colonial ruler, supplied arms and supported the federal government to protect its oil interests in the Niger Delta. Conversely, France, Gabon, and Côte d’Ivoire offered varying degrees of support to Biafra, motivated by humanitarian sympathy and geopolitical rivalry.
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Economic and Social Impact
The war’s economic effects were catastrophic. The Eastern Region, previously prosperous from palm oil and trade, saw its economy collapse under siege. Agriculture was disrupted, industries destroyed, and transport routes severed. Inflation soared as Biafra printed its own currency, which rapidly devalued.
Socially, displacement redefined community structures. Families were separated; schools and hospitals shut down. Women emerged as central figures in survival, managing food distribution, caring for children, and engaging in petty trade despite restrictions. In refugee camps, communal living became the norm, fostering cooperation but also exposing civilians to disease and malnutrition.
The post-war recovery in 1970 under the federal “Three Rs” policy, Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation, sought to rebuild the East and reintegrate former Biafrans. However, many returnees faced discrimination and economic marginalisation, particularly over the controversial £20 compensation policy, which limited Eastern Nigerians’ access to pre-war savings.
Cultural Memory and the Role of Women
While men dominated military and political leadership, women’s experiences shaped the cultural memory of the war. Oral histories, memoirs, and songs from the period commemorate mothers who braved starvation and bombardment to protect their children. Their resilience remains symbolic of collective endurance during Nigeria’s most violent conflict.
The figure of the “mother fleeing by night” embodies both trauma and hope, a metaphor for the Biafran people’s struggle for survival amid destruction. Post-war literature, including works by Chinua Achebe, Flora Nwapa, and Ken Saro-Wiwa, revisits these themes, humanising the conflict beyond statistics and politics.
Legacy Today
More than five decades later, the Biafran War continues to influence Nigeria’s politics, identity, and interethnic relations. The conflict exposed the fragility of national unity and the consequences of political exclusion. Calls for justice and recognition of war victims persist in public discourse.
In contemporary Nigeria, echoes of the war re-emerge in debates about federalism, resource control, and marginalisation. Yet, the enduring lesson of the mother’s flight, resilience in the face of loss, offers a moral reflection on the cost of disunity. The survival of millions who lived through war symbolises the determination of Nigerians to rebuild, reconcile, and remember.
Conclusion
“Escape by Night: A Mother’s Flight from the Biafran War Frontlines” captures a fragment of Nigeria’s civil war history through the lens of civilian endurance. The conflict was not only a political struggle but a human tragedy that reshaped the nation’s social and moral landscape.
The courage of women who traversed hostile terrains to save their families represents the spirit of survival that ultimately defined post-war Nigeria. As the country continues to navigate its diverse identities, remembering such experiences remains vital to fostering national empathy, unity, and historical consciousness.
Author’s Note
This article examines the Nigerian Civil War through the experience of civilian survival, focusing on the resilience of women during mass displacement. By grounding the narrative in verifiable history, it highlights how ordinary people, particularly mothers, became the silent heroes of a devastating conflict whose legacy still informs Nigeria’s national identity and collective memory.
References
- Achebe, Chinua. There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra. Penguin Press, 2012.
- Stremlau, John J. The International Politics of the Nigerian Civil War, 1967–1970. Princeton University Press, 1977.
- Ohaegbulam, F. Ugboaja. The Nigerian Civil War: Causes, Strategies, and Lessons. University Press of America, 1992.
