Biafra

American  

[bee-ah-fruh] / biˈɑ frə /

noun

1. a former secessionist state (1967–70) in SE Nigeria, in W Africa. Enugu.

2. Bight of, a wide bay in the E part of the Gulf of Guinea, off the W coast of Africa.

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Biafra British  

/ bɪˈæfrə /

noun

1. a region of E Nigeria, formerly a local government region: seceded as an independent republic (1967–70) during the Civil War, but defeated by Nigerian government forces

2. former name (until 1975) of (the Bight of) Bonny

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Other Word Forms

• Biafran adjective

Example Sentences

In 2009 Kanu launched Radio Biafra that broadcast separatist messages to Nigeria from London.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025

Once a relatively obscure figure, he came to national prominence in 2009 when he started Radio Biafra, a station that called for an independent state for the Igbo people, broadcast to Nigeria from London.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025

Biafra was the name of a short-lived breakaway state that declared independence in 1967, sparking a brutal civil war that lasted until 1970.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

When Biafra declared its independence from the rest of Nigeria in 1967, Nigeria imposed a military blockade and starvation campaign.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2023

He uses the same shade of red to circle the boundaries of where, in the Southeast, Biafra existed for three years.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie