The Once Mighty Biafra Movement Under Pressure

I was very young when I left home to join the Biafran army, he says. I was scared and the recruiters said I was very young, but they later allowed me to join them because they needed men. The bloody war that Oliwe fought in, and whose mental and physical scars he carries to this day, started when Col Odumegwu Ojukwu declared Biafra an independent state. Many in the east rejoiced at the announcement, but it marked the start of a brutal and bitter war with the federal government. It ended three years later with millions dead and the region re-integrated into Nigeria. At a centre for Biafra war veterans in south east Nigeria, John Oliwe rolls his wheelchair into the backyard. He uses a small cutlass to uproot weeds from his vegetable plot as he recalls his role in the conflict that began when he was just 15 years old.Next week marks the 51st anniversary of 30 May 1967, the date of Ojukwu's fateful pronouncement. Now known by many as Biafra Day, it provides a yearly moment for reflection."I sit here and tune in my radio to know what is going onsays a visibly emotional Oliwe. "I can't walk so I sit here, but my eyes are always heavy. I remember my colleagues and family members who died during that time."For many though, Biafra Day is more than just a time for looking back. Many in the south east claim the region is still marginalised and say they never received justice for the millions of people - mostly Igbo - who died in the war. They see this anniversary as an opportunity to protest against this ongoing status quo and, more recently, revive their predecessors' calls for secession.Recently heading this movement is the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), which has organised large-scale demonstrations and disruptions in the past few years demanding independence. Ahead of the upcoming anniversary, the group has called for sit-at-home protests."That day will be a total shutdown of Biafraland," says Emeka Gift, an IPOB leader based in Côte d'Ivoire. "We expect all banks, schools, markets and business places to be on shutdown."Many supporters of the group are ready to heed this appeal. "We shall all sit at home and do nothing in respect and honour of our brethren who were ruthlessly killed by the government and her Western allies during the war," says Brendan Okeke. "It's a duty and an obligation for everyone who is proud to be a Biafran."However, compared to some of IPOB's previous popularly-answered calls to action, there appear to be more mixed feelings this year. According to Kingsley Udegbunam, a specialist in peace, conflict and counter-terrorism at the University of Nigeria, next week's protest is unlikely to match the success of some past demonstrations."I foresee a situation where the majority of Easterners will ignore the sit-at-home because of the waning influence of IPOB," he says.From around 2015 to 2017, IPOB was highly successful in organising protests in Nigeria as well as among the diaspora. On several occasions, huge numbers would take to the streets despite fear of clashes with security forces. In 2016, more than 150 demonstrators were killed on Biafra Day, prompting rights groups such as Amnesty International to condemn the federal government's "chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions and violence" against peaceful protesters.But more recently, the group's ability to mobilise people has diminished. Analysts suggest that there are a number of reasons behind this.Firstly, there are ongoing struggles for supremacy within the movement. The longer-standing secessionist group known as the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has challenged IPOB's right to call for a shutdown. Its leaders have even issued a counter-directive calling on people to ignore IPOB's order. "There is a crack in the ranks of Biafra agitators," says Udegbunam. Some of MASSOB's members have also been targeted by security forces as they have tried to mark Biafra Day with large parades.