ABSTRACT
The Biafra War represented the first great ethnic conflict of post-independence Africa, serving as a tragic harbinger of things to come. Angry at their marginalization under a northern-led military government, the Ibos of southeastern Nigeria rose up in rebellion in early 1967, attempting to establish the independent Ibo state of Biafra. Though initially successful in defending their homeland, Ibo forces were eventually overwhelmed by the Nigerian army, which attempted to starve the rebels into submission by establishing a blockade around the territory they controlled. The strategy worked, but the costs were enormous. The name “Biafra” became synonymous with hunger, suffering, and Africa’s remorseless ethnic warfare.
