Biafra was a breakaway state in southeastern Nigeria, declared by Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, military governor of the Eastern Region, after the massacres of Igbo people in northern Nigeria in 1966 and the failure of negotiations. The federal government refused to accept secession, and the Nigerian Civil War began soon afterward. Federal forces blockaded Biafra, cutting off food and supplies, and a severe famine killed large numbers of civilians, especially children; estimates of the total dead range from several hundred thousand to over two million. Images of starving children prompted international relief efforts and led to the founding of Médecins Sans Frontières. Biafra surrendered, and the federal leader Yakubu Gowon pursued a policy of reconciliation.
Before and after
- 19 April 1967Death of Konrad Adenauer
- 23 April 1967Launch of Soyuz 1
- 27 April 1967Birth of William Alexander of the Netherlands
- from May 1967 to December 1967Hong Kong 1967 leftist riots
- from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970Biafra
- from 5 June 1967 to 10 June 1967Six-Day War
- 12 June 1967Launch of Venera 4
- 14 June 1967Launch of Mariner 5
- 20 June 1967Birth of Nicole Kidman
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 1962Founding of Jamaica
- 1966Founding of Lesotho
- 10 July 1973Founding of The Bahamas
- 1975Founding of Papua New Guinea
- 1 October 1978Founding of Tuvalu
- 1 November 1981Founding of Antigua and Barbuda
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.