Some states recognize Biafra

Between April 1968 and 1969, five countries formally recognized the breakaway Republic of Biafra as an independent state during Nigeria's civil war. Tanzania became the first in April 1968, followed by Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Zambia in Africa, plus Haiti in the Caribbean. These diplomatic recognitions provided crucial international legitimacy to the Biafran cause led by Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, though most of the international community, including major powers like Britain and the Soviet Union, continued to support Nigeria's federal government.

The recognitions came as the civil war entered its second year, with Biafran forces increasingly isolated and facing military pressure from federal troops. African leaders like Tanzania's Julius Nyerere and Côte d'Ivoire's Félix Houphouët-Boigny cited concerns about the treatment of Igbo civilians and the principle of self-determination. However, the Organization of African Unity officially opposed the secession, fearing it would encourage separatist movements across the continent and undermine the post-colonial borders established at independence.