July 6, 1967: The Nigerian Civil War

July 6, 1967: A civil war breaks out in Nigeria, the most populous country on the African continent.

At the time, the country was run by a military dictatorship. The Igbo ethnic group, living in the southeastern part of the country, led by Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu, felt it could no longer coexist with the federal government, dominated by the Hausa-Fulanis, who were Muslim and came from the northern part, and were conducting pogroms against the Igbos living in the north.

So the Igbos separated from Nigeria, and declared the independence of the Republic of Biafra. Nigeria's dictator, General Yakubu Gowon, attacked. Within a year, his troops had surrounded Biafra, and captured coastal oil facilities and the city of Port Harcourt. A blockade was imposed, as a deliberate method which achieved its intention: The mass starvation of Biafran civilians. Biafra surrendered on January 15, 1970, and was reintegrated into Nigeria.

There were about 100,000 overall military casualties, while between 500,000 and 2 million Biafran civilians died of starvation. Alongside the concurrent Vietnam War, the Nigerian Civil War was one of the first wars in human history to be televised to a global audience. In mid-1968, images of malnourished and starving Biafran children saturated the mass media of Western country. It inspired the formation of Doctors Without Borders.

The United States' official position, under the Presidencies of both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, was one of neutrality, considering Nigeria as "a responsibility of Britain," but some interpret the refusal to recognize Biafra as favoring the Nigerian government.

The war also resulted in the political marginalization of the Igbo people, as Nigeria has not had another Igbo President since the end of the war, leading some Igbo people to believe they are being unfairly punished for the war.

Ojukwu fled to the Ivory Coast in exile. Gowon ruled Nigeria until he was overthrown in a military coup in 1975, while he was at a summit meeting in Uganda. He went into exile in Britain.

In 1981, newly democratically elected Nigerian President Shehu Shagari granted amnesty to Ojukwu, allowing him to return to Nigeria without facing political or legal consequences from the war. Ojukwu spent the remainder of his life unsuccessfully attempting to return to Nigerian politics as a democratically elected politician rather than a military ruler. He died in 2011, in London, at the age of 78.

Shagari also pardoned Gowon, for crimes ranging from genocide to "looting half of the Central Bank of Nigeria." However, he has never returned to his homeland. He has, however, worked to fight diseases in Africa, including AIDS, Guinea worm and malaria. As of July 6, 2022, he is still alive.

In 1983, another military coup led to a Nigerian dictatorship. In 1999, the country returned to democracy, and has observed it ever since.

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July 6, 1967 was a Thursday. Baseball was the only sport in season in North America, and only 3 games were scheduled:

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. Frank Robinson did not play.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Orlando Cepeda went 3-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs, including singling Bobby Tolan home to win this game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Roger Maris went 0-for-4 with a walk. Pete Rose went 3-for-4. Lou Brock only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and struck out.

* And the Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at the Astrodome in Houston. Ernie Banks went 2-for-4 with an RBI.