Pope Francis greeted a group of
activists from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, who are
campaigning for secession from Nigeria, after they gathered at the Vatican on
Sunday.
IPOB is led by Nnamdi Kanu, a U.K.-Nigerian
dual citizen who is currently detained in Nigeria, facing trial for treasonable
felony. Kanu is the director of Radio Biafra, an underground media outlet that
broadcasts material in favour of an independent state of Biafra in southeast
Nigeria.
Nigerian military officer Odumegwu
Ojukwu declared Biafra independence in 1967, sparking a three-year civil war
that resulted in more than one million deaths and ended in 1970 with Biafra
being reintegrated into Nigeria. Agitation for a separate state of Biafra has
been rejected by
the Nigerian government, with President Muhammadu Buhari affirming
that the West African country is “one indivisible entity.”
During his weekly Angelus
address—where the Pope addresses crowds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s
Square from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace—Francis extended a word of
welcome to the indigenous people of Biafra. The Pope’s statement was greeted
with cheers and celebration by the Biafra group, who were waving flags during
the address.
The Pope traditionally greets traveling groups of pilgrims during his weekly addresses and the Vatican has
not publicly commented on the Pope’s position on Biafra agitation for
secession. Nigeria opened an
embassy to the Holy See in August 2012 but diplomatic relations go
back to 1976 and were conducted through Nigeria’s embassy in Spain prior to
2012.
Kanu’s trial
is due to commence in the Nigerian capital Abuja on March 7. The
charges against the activist, who is based in London, carry a potential life
sentence.
During its three-year existence,
the majority population of Biafra was made up of members of the Igbo ethnic
group. When Britain declared the united states of Nigeria in 1914, Igbos in the
east and southeast were joined together with members of the Hausa and Yoruba
ethnic groups in the north and west respectively. Igbos are largely Christian
while the Hausa are mainly Muslim. [news week]
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