Biafra Issue

Since the end of the civil war, 1967-1970, there have been sporadic attempts to revive the Biafra movement. Beginning the middle of October 2015, when Nnamdi Kanu, a pro-Biafra activist and the director of the pirate radio station Radio Biafra, was arrested, the secessionist mood is on the rise. Global leaders have not officially spoken on the Biafra issue. Unlike the Boko Haram terrorism, they see it as an internal challenge of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The international media do not pay much attention to the development either. This may be explained by the fact that the information one can find on social media or get from a local reporter is usually one-sided and cannot be independently verified, while the government sources often provide contradictory details.

Buhari faces criticism for backing Western Sahara
President Muhammadu Buhari faces a growing criticism by pro-Biafran secessionist groups over his support for the independence fight of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Western Sahara, UK’s International Business Times reports. Moreover, his support for the people of Palestine is no longer a secret. NAIJ.com recalls the recent actions by the president that give the grounds for such condemnations. Wrong comparison Garba Shehu, the presidential special aide on media and publicity, explained to The New Telegraph why it was wrong to compare Western Sahara and Biafra: “For anybody to make a comparison between Western Sahara and Biafra, that is a display of knowledge deficit in international politics. One, Western Sahara is a classic case of decolonisation. It is the last remaining colony on the African continent and we all owe it a duty to ourselves to liberate Western Sahara. “In fact, as the military head of state, President Buhari was the first to recognise Western Sahara and then the rest of Africa followed. So, he is being consistent. But Biafra is for the dismemberment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is already a settled entity. These two scenarios are clearly different.” Shehu also added that those who support the secession of Biafra “have not read Nigeria’s history” and the issue has already been settled.

President Muhammadu Buhari meets Saharawi minister of foreign affairs, Mohammed Salem Ould Salek; the Ambassador of Saharawi to Nigeria, Oubi Bachir; the minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and chief of staff Abba Kyari at the Aso Rock on March 11, 2016. SADR’s fight for independence In 1958, Spain merged the colonised districts of Saguia El-Hamra and Rio de Oro to form the Spanish Sahara, the modern-day Western Sahara. Spain faced a tribal uprising by the indigenous Sahrawi people, which culminated in the creation of the Polisario Front rebel movement in 1973. Spain controlled the Spanish Sahara until 1975 when it signed, together with Morocco and Mauritania, the Madrid Agreement, which aimed to end Spanish rule in the territory. According to the agreement, which has not been recognised by the UN, Morocco took over Saguia El-Hamra, while Mauritania took control of Rio de Oro. Originally created to fight against Spanish colonisation, the Polisario Front then waged a war against Mauritania and Morocco and, in 1976, created SADR, a partially-recognised state that controls a strip of land in Western Sahara. SADR demands sovereignty of the whole country, In 1976 Mauritania withdrew from the territories and the armed conflict continued between the Polisario Front and Morocco until 1991, when both parties reached a ceasefire. In 2005, a new wave of unrest dubbed “Independence Intifada” rocked the Moroccan-controlled areas of Western Sahara. Series of deadly protests also erupted in 2010 and 2011. Currently, SADR controls about 20-25% of Western Sahara amid international efforts to promote a peace process in the country. Biafra struggle Pro-Biafran activists demand the independence of Biafran territories forcibly annexed to Nigeria during British colonisation, which ended in 1960. Supporters of the breakaway were angered after Buhari said on March 11 that Nigeria would help ensure independence and self-determination for people in Western Sahara. A Biafran Republic was established in 1967 and re-annexed to Nigeria in 1970, following a bloody civil war that claimed millions of lives. Biafra supporters, who are routinely holding demonstrations across south-eastern Nigeria calling for independence, Nnamdi Kanu, accused the president of being a hypocrite. Support for Palestine President Buhari decided on his side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During his official visit to Qatar in the end of February the Nigerian leader reiterated his strong support for the self-determination of the partially-recognised Palestinian State. In September 25, during the his speech at the 70th UN General Assembly, Buhari openly called for supporting Palestine. Israel-Palestine conflict started on May 15, 1948, and has not been resolved till date.

Meanwhile in Nigeria The federal government has always maintained that Nigeria’s unity is a priority for the country and that demanding the breakaway of the Biafran territories is against the constitution. Pro-Biafran activists often claim Nigerian army and police open fire on “unarmed” and “peaceful” protesters who seek both independence and the unconditional release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The embattled director of the Radio Biafra pirate radio station remains in jail since his arrest in the middle of October 2015. The Nigerian security forces are being accused of the use of excessive force against pro-Biafran protesters. However, the army and police have denied allegations of violence.