Today in History: Nigerian-Biafran war broke out

The Nigerian Civil War began on July 6 1967, exactly 56 years ago and ended on January 15 1970. It is also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War.

This civil war was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967.

Nigeria was led by General Yakubu Gowon, while Biafra was led by Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Biafra represented the nationalist aspirations of the Igbo ethnic group, whose leadership felt they could no longer coexist with the federal government dominated by the interests of the Muslim Hausa-Fulanis of Northern Nigeria.

The conflict resulted from political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions which preceded the United Kingdom's formal decolonisation of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963.

Immediate causes of the war in 1966 included a military coup, a counter-coup, and anti-Igbo pogroms in Northern Nigeria.

Control over the lucrative oil production in the Niger Delta also played a vital strategic role, and was a factor in the strong French support for Biafra.

Within a year, Nigerian government troops surrounded Biafra, and captured coastal oil facilities and the city of Port Harcourt.

A blockade was imposed as a deliberate policy during the ensuing stalemate which led to the mass starvation of Biafran civilians.

During the two and half years of the war, there were about 100,000 overall military casualties, while between 500,000 and 2 million Biafran civilians died of starvation.

According to @igbohistofacts, “the war began at 6:38am on July 6, 1967 when the federal army advanced in two columns into Biafra. It was Lt. Gado Nasko who fired the first artillery shots in Garkem, present-day Cross River state.

The war claimed over 3.5 million lives of Ndi Igbo. It's believed that every Igbo household lost at least a relation to the war. We say Ozoemena.”