The Combat and Military Systems of Africa and its Diaspora

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

https://t.co/XgWeNqvupA
The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen. Lucky Irabor has explained how the stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents was captured by Nigerian Army.

Irabor explained this during Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship (NASAC) holding in Sambisa Forest of Borno state.

Camp Zairo, before its capture by the military, was a stronghold and headquarters of Boko Haram Terrorists Group that destroyed many lives and properties in the North-East region of the country.

He said, “On December 22, 2016, domiantion of Nigerian troops of Operation Lafiya Dole made us capture Camp Zairo (Kaam Zairo) here in the heart of Sambisa Forest after intelligent reports have reached us.

“Our troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, are always at alert and it means that the Boko Haram terrorists have been defeated, having taken out by the commander of control centre.”

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai also noted that this is the appropriate time to dominate the entire Sambisa Forest. Buratai however directed that the NASAC be held in this location.

He said, “After this event, Sambisa Forest will remain the training centre for Nigerian Army activities. In fact, 21 Armoured Brigade will forever remain in this located.

“We will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that the entire Sambisa Forest is not only dominated but see that
the entire North-East is free of Boko Haram terrorists.

“We are working assiduously to ensure that the peace we have fought for and which we are all enjoying remains forever.

Irabor later added that construction of roads to the forest is ongoing for easy access to the captured operational headquarters of Boko Haram.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/s-sudan-army-recaptures-bagari-town-rebels

The South Sudanese army (SPLA) claimed on Saturday that it regained full control of Bagari, a town located 12 miles south-west of Wau town from the armed opposition forces.

The recapture of the Western Bahr el Ghazal state town is the latest military action undertaken by government forces, despite international pressure for a declaration of a unilateral ceasefire.

Eyewitnesses and area legislators said pro-government troops, backed by an air cover and tribal militiamen, carried out a surprise attack on the rebel-held position on Friday, forcing them to withdraw their forces after fierce fighting.

A state minister, in an interview with Sudan Tribune, also confirmed the attack, which reportedly forced the rebels to flee the town amid artillery shelling by government forces.

It was not immediately clear how many fighters were killed in the attack and no official statement was released by spokespersons of both the army and the rebel movement.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million others displaced in South Sudan’s worst-ever outbreak of violence since it seceded from neighbouring Sudan in July 2011.

In late August 2015, President Salva Kiir signed a peace agreement previously signed by Riek Machar called the "Compromise Peace Agreement" mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The agreement established the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) responsible for monitoring and overseeing implementation of the peace accord.

(ST)

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Trump administration 'to sell Nigeria planes' for Boko Haram fight - BBC News

The Trump administration plans to sell military planes to Nigeria despite concerns over rights abuses and a botched air strike that killed scores of civilians in January, US media say.

Up to a dozen A-29 Super Tucano aircraft would be sold to Nigeria to help fight Islamist militant group Boko Haram, unnamed US officials said.

The deal, which is not yet official, will require approval from Congress.

Boko Haram's deadly insurgency has displaced more than two million people.

• More on this and other African stories
• Five views on Trump and Africa
• Who are Boko Haram?

The deal, said to be worth up to $600m (£490m), was agreed by the Obama administration, but was reportedly halted on the day it was due to be sent to Congress, after a catastrophic incident involving the Nigerian military.

About 90 people, mainly women and children, were killed in January when the Nigerian Air Force mistakenly bombed a camp in the country's north-east, which was hosting thousands of those who had fled Boko Haram.

An aid distribution was taking place at the time of the attack, according to medical charity MSF.

Image copyrightREUTERS/MSF
Image captionMSF said the Nigerian Air Force plane circled twice before dropping the bombs
The Nigerian government indicated last month that the deal might be back on, following the first phone call between President Muhammadu Buhari and President Donald Trump.

"President Trump assured the Nigerian president of US readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism," Mr Buhari's office said in a statement.

The US congressional source said human rights concerns remain, despite support for the sale from some lawmakers, Reuters news agency reports.

The US Air Force described the A-29 aircraft as a "game-changer" when they were deployed in Afghanistan in 2016.

They can be armed with two wing-mounted machine guns and can carry up to 1,550 kg of weapons.

But the aircraft that would be sold to Nigeria come with a "very basic armed configuration," one of the unnamed US officials told Reuters.

Boko Haram at a glance:

Image copyrightBOKO HARAM VIDEO
Image captionBoko Haram has sworn allegiance to Islamic State and often displays its trademark black flag

• Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, hundreds abducted, including at least 200 schoolgirls
• Joined so-called Islamic State, now calls itself IS's "West African province"
• Seized large area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
• Regional force has retaken most territory in the last two years.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Niger security forces kill 57 Boko Haram militants

Niamey - Niger's Ministry of Defense says security forces killed at least 57 Boko Haram Islamic extremists who had attacked a village in the eastern Diffa region overnight.

The ministry said on Monday that 15 soldiers and two civilians were wounded in fighting with the extremists in Gueskerou, about 30km from Diffa.

It said Niger security forces also seized a significant amount of arms and ammunition left behind by the militants.

Spokesperson Colonel Toure Abdoul Aziz said the Ministry of Defense, in the name of the president, congratulated security forces for gains against Nigerian-based Boko Haram extremists, whose seven-year insurgency has killed at least 20 000 people.


Niger contributes to the multi-national force set up to fight Boko Haram in the region.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Egyptian soldiers killed by roadside bombs in central Sinai: military | News | DW.COM | 23.03.2017

Roadside bombs have killed 10 Egyptian soldiers during fighting with Islamist militants in central Sinai, the Egyptian military said in a statement on Thursday.

It said that the bombings occurred following an army raid on a "terrorist base" in which 15 extremists were killed and seven others taken prisoner. The three officers and seven enlisted men died while in pursuit of other fighters.

The army said troops destroyed half a ton of TNT explosive and seized other weapons and equipment during the raid.

The statement gave no indication as to when the incidents occurred.

Long-running insurgency

Egyptian security forces have for years been battling a rebellion waged mainly by militants from an "Islamic State" (IS) affiliate in northern Sinai. Recently, the army has spoken of penetrating further into the peninsula's desert and mountainous areas such as Jebel Halal as it tries to discover and destroy insurgent weapons depots.

Hundreds of soldiers and policemen have been killed since the insurgency erupted in 2013 after the army overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and carried out a brutal crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood supporters.


The Egyptian army has a large presence in northern Sinai

Most attacks have been confined to Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip. However, the group has also claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian airliner flying from south Sinai in October 2015. All 224 people on board the plane - mostly holidaymakers - were killed.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Will be starting a series on the Nigerian Civil War this weekend. The 50th anniversary is coming up soon.
Stay tuned for posts.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-1970 I

(Ojukwu with Biafran soldiers)

• Nigeria seemed stable and prosperous when it became independent on October 1st, 1960. Underneath the optimism of its newfound independence lay many ethno-religious tensions. There are 250 ethnic groups among the then 25 million Nigerians. Including the Hausa-Fulani (29 per cent) in the north, Yoruba (21 per cent) in the south-west and the Igbo (18 per cent) in the south-east. Each seeming like a nation unto itself.
• The Igbo were regarded as the most educated group in Nigeria. Millions of them had moved into various other regions in Nigeria to take advantage of positions in the civil service, army and skilled trades. This caused resentment against the Igbos, especially in the north due to their relative poverty and educational disadvantages.
• Pogroms in the north following a second coup d'etat in 1966 led to nearly a million Igbos fleeing back to their homeland in the south-east. This ethnic violence fueled an idea among Igbos (including military governor of the Eastern Region, Col Ojukwu who is pictured above) to secede from Nigeria. Ojukwu and his supporters believed that their educated populace and the oil which lay in Eastern Nigeria would easily allow them to become independent. The new dictator of Nigeria, Maj. Gen. Yakubu Gowon sought to keep Nigeria one.
• On 30 May, 1967 - the Eastern Region of Nigeria proclaimed its secession as the 'Republic of Biafra'. The Government of Nigeria immediately sought to stop this secession, thus making civil war inevitable. Britain supported the continued unity of Nigeria and began to arm the Nigerian government...

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-1970 II

Brief Timeline of the Conflict

(Note that Nigeria doesn't have sort of seasons you'd see in North America/Europe. For the viewing audience, this type chronology is used to ease understanding)

• 1960 - Nigeria gains independence from Britain.
• 1960-1965 - Political crises grip Nigeria. Ethnic divisions became more prominent following regional elections in the Western region in 1964. Power struggles make civilian rule ineffective.
• January 1966 - Military coup overthrows the civilian government. Following the coup, an Igbo general (Maj. Gen. Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi) takes power at the head of a supreme military council. Yakubu Gowon is made his Chief of Staff.
• July 1966 - A counter-coup is launched against the Igbo-dominated regime. Many Igbo officers are killed including Ironsi. Gowon is made Head of State in charge of a Northern dominated Nigeria.
• Sept-Oct 1966 - Anti-Igbo pogroms kill an estimated 30,000-50,000 Igbo people across Nigeria. Perhaps some 600,000 Igbo flee back to their ancestral homelands in the East. The military governor in the East, Col. Ojukwu, seizes federal assets.
• January-May 1967 - Ojukwu begins importing arms as does Gowon. Gowon declares a state of emergency and assumes full powers as head of the Federal Army and military government. He breaks up Nigeria's three regions into 12 states. Igbos are isolated from the sea and from most of the oil reserves.
• 30 May 1967 - Ojukwu announces the secession of the East from the Nigerian Federation and declares the Republic of Biafra.
• July 1967 - The 1st Division of the Federal Army captures Ogoja and Nsukka. The 3rd Division lands at Bonny Island in Southern Biafra.
• August 1967 - Biafrans launch a surprise invasion into Mid-West Nigeria. They take the Mid-West capital, Benin, and proclaim a pro-Biafran 'Republic of Benin'. The Biafran advance is halted at Ore, 130 miles from Lagos. Lagos is then attacked by a B-29 aircraft causing panic.
• Autumn of 1967 - Rebel column is driven back to Biafra. The Federal 3rd Marine Division captures Owerri. The Biafran capital, Enugu, falls to Nigerian forces (1st Division). The rebels move their capital. 5,000 Nigerian soldiers are defeated at the First Battle of Onitsha. The 3rd Marine Division captures Calabar from the 9th Biafran Battalion - which cuts Biafra's access to Cameroon
• 1968 - Biafra is recognized by Tanzania, Gabon, Ivory Coast and Zambia. The OAU prevents further recognition of Biafra, since the OAU supports the unity of Nigeria.
• Spring 1968 - Biafran civilians begin to starve in vast numbers. 6,000 begin starving to death daily. A Federal offensive (2nd Division) seizes Onitsha from the Biafran 11th Division. Peace talks are held in Zambia. The 3rd Marine Division captures Port Harcourt - cutting Biafra's main access to the sea.
• Autumn/Winter 1968 - Biafrans recapture Oguta. Federal Army captures Owerri. Biafrans launch Operation Hiroshima. It fails at the cost of 50 per cent of the attacking force.
• Spring 1969 - Haiti recognizes Biafra. Owerri is recaptured by the Biafran 14th Division. Nigerian Federal Army capture Umuahia. Biafrans recapture Owerri when the Federal Army withdraws for 'tactical reasons'. Col. Adekunle relieved of command of the Federal 3rd Marine Division. Biafran airstrikes disrupt the oil industry and destroy Nigerian Air Force aircraft on the ground.
• Summer 1969 - The Republic of Biafra has shrunk to 10 per cent of its original territory. 6 million people are crowded into this small territory. Biafra launches offensives on several fronts. Launch guerrilla attacks in the Mid-West which ties down 6,000 federal troops. Biafran battle casualties reach 36,000.
• Autumn 1969 - One of the last Biafran offensives launch 4,000 men at the Owerri sector. The Nigerian Federal Army/Chief of Staff prepare for the final Federal offensive.
• January 1970 - The Federal Army launches 'Operation Tailwind'. The remaining Biafran territory is cleaved in twain. Lt. Gen. Philip Effiong succeeds Ojukwu as Head of State. Federal forces capture Arochukwu, Utoru and Ohafia as Biafran resistance collapses. Ojukwu escapes to Gabon. Biafran Army lays down its arms as Effiong surrenders over radio. Official surrender ceremony takes place on 15 January, 1970.

Battle casualties range from 90,000 to 120,000 men. 1-2 million civilians (almost entirely Biafrans) die.

 

[BigMan]

Why didn't any major power recognize Biafra

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Why didn't any major power recognize Biafra

That's a good question. Major powers who did support Biafra covertly (France, Portugal, South Africa - if you think the Apartheid State was at least a regional power) probably didn't want to expose themselves to too much risk in case Biafra was crushed by the Nigerian Army.

Seeing a weaker Nigeria may have been in their strategic interest at the time, but Nigeria was certainly not an existential threat to Francafrique, Luso-Africa or South Africa's Apartheid states and its allies (Rhodesia). Although, Nigeria did try to undermine Apartheid in the 1970s.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Running down the list of the UN Security Council at the time:

- United States (busy with Vietnam/Didn't care about Nigeria)
- France (Supported Biafra secretly)
- Britain (armed/trained Nigeria)
- Soviet Union (armed/trained/flew plans during the war)
- China (Seat was then held by Taiwan I believe. PR of China was busy with Cultural Revolution)

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-1970 III

(combat footage from the Civil War plus comments from former commanders)

The Nigerian Federal Army

• The Nigerian Army began the war with 8,00-10,000 soldiers. Two brigades, three battalions each. As the conflict grew, the Army was necessarly expanded. By late 1968, the Federal Army was likely around 100,000 men-at-arms. By the end of the war, it had reached nearly 200,000 soldiers. The Nigerian Army started off with battalions as the largest unit of military organization, but this structure changed into a divisional one by late 1967.
• The 1st Division had as many as 40,000 soldiers. It earned a reputation of mission completion and reliability. It has received many of the World War II veterans who signed up with the Nigerian Army as the civil war began, creating a degree of professionalism distinct from other divisions. Veterans of World War II had fought in East Africa against the Italians in 1941 and against the Japanese in Burma. Many of those men were in their 40s.
• The 2nd Division was a mixed collection of police units, raw recruits and other forces. It was made up of 20,000 men and suffered heavily casualties in the numerous battles to seize the strategic town of Onitsha, across the Niger river from Asaba. It was nicknamed the 'tortoise division' because of its lack of progress and remained largely inactive after it finally captured Onitsha until January of 1970.
• The 3rd Division has around 35,000 men. It was formed from the Lagos Garrison. It had an elite reputation, largely based upon its commander Col Benjamin Adekunle. He tried to attract as much media attention as possible. He was replaced in 1969 (along with other divisional commanders). His behaviour became an embarassment for Gen. Gowon.

Praise song for Adekunle

• The Federal Army had difficulty finding support units for reconnaissance squadrons, artillery and engineer squadrons throughout the war. More than 100 Soviet technicians came to Nigeria to assist the federal war effort. Although, Nigerian soldiers may have had front-line help from soldiers from Britain and the Warsaw Pact.
• The Nigerian Army should've defeated Biafra very early on, but it was hobbled by many structural issues such as the lack of trained manpower, lack of high-ranking officers (especially after the coups of 1966), military doctors (replaced by Algerians since most military doctors were in fact Igbos) etc.
• There was also a lack of unified purpose until late in the war. The three divisional commanders rarely coordinated operations against the Biafrans. Moreover they behaved sort of like warlords. Sending procurement teams to Europe to get arms without the permission of General Gowon. Logistical supplies were stolen as were soldiers from rival divisions.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-1970 IV

The Biafran Army

Biafran soldiers

• When the war started, Biafra had less than 10,000 troops. Only a small number of whom had modern weapons. Also, there were very few career enlisted men left after the July Coup of 1966. Brigades were formed from battalion to protect the south (52nd Brigade) and the north (51st Brigade) of Biafra, but their strength was always limited by a lack of guns.
• Biafra also cobbled together divisions (nominal strength of 5,400) - the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Divisions. Also, a 101st Division was created to supplement the invasion of the Mid-West in 1967. It was disbanded after its failure at Ore. Special attack Brigades were also created to supplement the official divisions.
• At its height, the Biafran Army had 40,000 soldiers at arms. Logistical support was supplied by civil servants at first, and later a service corps. The Biafrans trained 10,000 officers to replace earlier losses but because of the tempo of the war, many officers were under-trained when they were sent to the front.
• Ojukwu formed the 'S Brigade/Division' to serve as his loyal bodyguard for Ojukwu feared some of his own officers. This outfit became a division in 1968 and proved its worth in battle soon thereafter.
• Peoples' Militias were also formed to resist the Nigerian Army. They were poorly armed (wooden staves, or dane guns). Many militamen only had machetes.
• The Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters (BOFF) was formed to be a guerrilla unit which would operate behind the front-lines to harass the Nigerian Army. Sort of like the Viet Cong.
• Biafra also relied upon mercenaries to make up for a lack of an officer class. Most of these mercenaries were white Europeans. But also white Rhodesians and South Africans fought for Biafra as well. They had command of the 4th Commando Brigade/Division with an initial strength of 5,000. They had a high casualty rate due to the willingness of commanders to have frontal assaults on Nigerian positions - leading to their removal. Especially after the failed Battle of Onitsha in 1968.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

(dikk Tiger, boxer and Biafran soldier)