The Nigerian Civil War is also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War.

A civil war is a war beteen the people of the same country. In this case Nigeria.

It began in July 1967 and ended on 15th January 1970.

TRIGGER

The trigger of this war was political. On 30 May 1967. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, governor of the Igbo-dominated southeast region of Nigeria, proclaimed the secession of the south- eastern region and its establisment of the independent republic of Biafra.

This was a political act.

This also explains why some people call it the Nigerian-Biafran war, because the Biafrans saw themselves as as a different people, as Biafrans, not Nigerians, so they don’t call it a civil war

The Nigerian government responded to and resisted this move by using its military to advance on Biafra on 6th July.

Thus it can be said that the trigger of this civil war was political.

But why did Ojukwu committ this political act, take this political decision, pull this political trigger at this particular time?

The main answer is Oil.

Here is a map of the oil fields of Nigeria – which are all found nin a region known as the Niger Delta. As you can see, many of them are to be found in the south-eastern part. Much more so than in the Musklim dominated North.

Ojukwu would have become very rich if he had succeeded in making himself the leader of a ctounry with so many oil fields. SHORT-TERM CAUSES

But whilst that was the political trigger, there were numerous underlying short and long-term economic, social, ethnic, cultural and religious causes – but the main one is economic: the quest for the revenues from the Nigerain oil fields in the Niger Delta.

In 1960, when Nigeria gained its Independence under Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa leading a coalition government, the tensions started to mount. In 1962-63 - Controversial census fuels regional and ethnic tensions.

For example, there were other short-term political and ethnic causes of that political trigger. In terms of political casues, the most notable were the military coup and counter coup that took place in the wake of what was claimed to be fraudulent elections in May 1966, as well as the failure of the subsequent Aburi Peace Accord meetings.

Balewa was killed in the coup led by Major-Genral Ironsi was killed in the counter coup. At the same time, a series of ethnic killings that then followed on their trail, be it the execution of prominent northern leaders by Igbos, or, the September massacre of Christian Igbos in the Muslim north.

The eastern region were not very well equipped, even if they were fighting on homeland.

The British and the Soviet Union helped the Nigerian government militarily, whilst the cnadani and French helped the Biafrans

The main, underlying cause of the conflict was economic. Everyone invovled in it had their eye on the lucrative oil revenues of the Nigerian oil fields.

The main underlying social or ethnic aspects of this conflict was colonialism and the patterns and structures in ‘Nigerian’ society which developed as a consequence of British colonial rule.

Nigeria was something of an artificial construct of a country orginally put together b y Britain at the beginning of the 20th century (including part of the former German colony of Cameroon in 1922). The part of West Africa they controlled was dominated by three large ethnic groups or tribes or peioples, the Igbo of the East, Hausa-Fulani of the North and the Yoruba of the West. They decided to lump them all together into one country called Nigeria.

One of the problems with this was that each of these groups had differetn politcal traditions and structures. The Husa Faluni political system was a conservative Islamic hierarchy, based on autocratic Emirs under an all-powerful Sultan. The British used these Emirs to rule and avoided sending Christian missionarieis to the North. On the contrary, the Yoruba monarchs were less autocratic and people had more opportunities for social movement up the hierarchy. The Igbo had a slightly more democratic monarchical system and socially there was more mixing with british Christian culture. They abosrbed British influence in different ways and became very different societies over time. Some argue this was a deliberate policy on the part of the British, using a Federal strucutre to divide and rule and so keep them weak in order to have British Petroleum exploit the oil revenues. Either way, since the 1940S the southern groups had led the way in the battle of Independence

These ethnic divisions were exacerabted and intensified by religious differences.

at the beginning in 1960 when the British colonialists decided to withdraw and give this area of the world its ‘independence’. The areas they called Nigeria consisted of 60 million people of over 300 different ethnic groups.

There was also an economic cause: the competitive quest for control of the Nigerian oilfileds between the British Frencha dnitalain oil companies. colonial powers.

COURSE Behind this coup were a variety of social tensions which had been inextricably linked with and excacerbated by a series of militrary coups in 1966.

On 15 January 1966, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, an Igbo, led an attempted military coup. Some say it was an Igbo coup because the President, Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe, an Igbo, was on an extended vacation in the West Indies, and the two major political leaders of the north, The prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and The Premier of the northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello were executed by Major Nzeogwu.

The coup was a consequence of claims of fraud over so called democratic elections. It led to an Igbo general,Johnson Aguiyi-Ironosi becoming the first military head of state (President) in Nigeria.

On 29th July 1966 there was a counter-coup led by officers from the North. This coup was led by Lt. Col. Murtala Mohammed. It placed Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon into power.

It then led to a series of pogroms and massacres most notably the September massacre of Christian Ibo living in the Muslim North.

July 6th fighting begins. Biafran gains, then driven back Then by 1968 stalemate. After a series of major defeats for the Nigerians, including Operation OAU, they succeeded in taking Port Harcourt in May 1968. This led to a blocakde of Biafra and a humanitarian disaster

In May Biafran commandos recaptured oil wells in Kwale, and this was followed by some successful resistance to Nigerian advances.

The final, British supported Nigerian offensive, Opertation Tail-Wind began on January 7th 1970 and Ojukwu fled into exile in the Ivory Coast.

CONSEQUENCES

One political consequence of the course of this war was the declaration of the Republic of Benin in Benin, (territory gained by the Biafrans) on 19 September by the Biafran military

A social consquence was the humanitarian disaster that followed in the wake of the Nigerian’s capture of Port Harcourt in May 1968, brought non by a combination fo starvation and tropicl disease. All in all it is estimated that about 3 million lives were lost.

POLITICAL

The victory issued in a shoter and long-term period of military political rule in Nigeria.

In 1975, Gowon was overthrown, fled to Britain, and was replaced by Brigadier Murtala Ramat Mohammed, who began process of moving federal capital to Abuja. 1976 - Mohammed assassinated in failed coup attempt. Replaced by his deputy, Lieutenant- General Olusegun Obasanjo, who helps introduce American-style presidential constitution.

He was then followed as Head of State by Olesegun Obasanjo, a former general, who served twice as his nation's head of state, as a military ruler between 13 February 1976 to 1 October 1979; and, despite the allged claim of a return to civilian rule in 199, was later elected President from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.

Others include:

1983 August, September - Shagari re-elected amid accusations of irregularities.

1983 December - Major-General Muhammad Buhari seizes power in bloodless coup.

1985 - Ibrahim Babangida seizes power in bloodless coup, curtails political activity.

1993 June - Military annuls elections when preliminary results show victory by Chief Moshood Abiola.

1993 August - Power transferred to Interim National Government.

Abacha years

1993 November - General Sani Abacha seizes power, suppresses opposition.

1994 - Abiola arrested after proclaiming himself president.

ECONOMIC

Oil money led to some sort of reconstruction but long term social and ethnic tensions remained, not least fueled by the claims of prejudice and injustice faced by returning Igbos who had fled during the war and who the Nigerian authorities did not allow to regain their properites and jobs upon their return. They also lost all of their money when the Nigerians changed the currency and refused to recognise Biafran currecny It led Beranrd ouchner, a former French Red corss NGO, to set up Medecin Sans Fronteris in 1971

The oiul- trade has produced a fedual culture in the Niger Delta, home of most of the oil fields. SOCIAL Ethinc tensions remain to this very day, as seen in the thousands who have been killed since the beginning of the 21st century, and with the country still under threat of some sort of break- up. Moreover, religion tensions still play a part, as can be seen in the imposition of Islamic law in the Noerthern part of Nigeria, the fleeing of many Christian Igbos, and the actions and communal attacks led by the al-Qaeda ally Boko Haram

HUMAN RIGHTS

1995 - Ken Saro-Wiwa, writer and campaigner against oil industry damage to his Ogoni homeland, is executed following a hasty trial. In protest, European Union imposes sanctions until 1998, Commonwealth suspends Nigeria's membership until 1998.

MISC RE PRESENT

2006 April - Helped by record oil prices, Nigeria becomes the first African nation to pay off its debt to the Paris Club of rich lenders.

2007 September - The rebel Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) threatens to end a self-imposed ceasefire and to launch fresh attacks on oil facilities and abductions of foreign workers.

2008 April - Two former health ministers and a daughter of President Olusegun Obasanjo are among 12 top health officials charged with embezzling around 470m naira (4m dollars) of public health funds.

Oil production cut by about half as a result of strike action and attacks on pipelines by militants; problems in Nigeria help keep world oil prices at record highs.

2012 July - Nigeria signs a preliminary $4.5bn deal with US-based Vulcan Petroleum to build six oil refineries. Nigeria lacks refinery capacity and has to import most of its fuel needs, despite being a major oil producer.

2012 August - The army kills 20 Boko Haram fighters in a shootout in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.