The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, lasted approximately three years, from 6 July 1967 to 15 January 1970. The conflict began when the Eastern Region, under Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, declared secession from Nigeria and proclaimed the Republic of Biafra. The Federal Military Government, led by General Yakubu Gowon, launched military operations to preserve Nigeria's territorial integrity.
The war was triggered by a combination of ethnic tensions, political instability following the coups of 1966, and the mass killings of Igbo people in the Northern Region. The conflict ended after nearly three years of fighting when Biafran forces surrendered in January 1970, and Gowon declared a policy of "No victor, no vanquished" aimed at national reconciliation.
The precise duration - from July 1967 to January 1970 - rounds to approximately two and a half years, but in standard historical reckoning, the war is described as lasting three years because it spanned parts of three calendar years (1967, 1968, 1969) and extended into a fourth (1970).
