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The Anglo-Aro War (1901–1902) was a conflict between the Aro Confederacy in present-day Eastern Nigeria, and the
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. The war began after increasing tension between Aro leaders and the British after years of failed negotiations.


Cause of the war

The Aro Confederacy, whose powers extended across Eastern
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and beyond, was challenged in the last decades of the 19th century by increasing British colonial penetration of the hinterland. The
Aro people The Aro people or Aros are an Igbo subgroup that originated from the Arochukwu kingdom in present-day Abia state, Nigeria. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern Nigeria and adjacent areas. The Aros ...
and their allies resisted the British penetration due to a combination of factors, included economic, political and religious concerns. Reasons for the war advanced by Sir Ralph Moor, the British High Commissioner of the Nigerian Coast Protectorate, included: According to American scholar Jeffrey Ian Ross, the Aro peoples usage of divinatory practices in shrines dedicated to the god ''Ibin Ukpabi'' was a critical element in their slavery practises, which was one of the factors that led to the outbreak of the Anglo-Aro War.


Aro opposition

The Aros had long opposed British colonial penetration in the hinterland, with such opposition being motivated in part by economic concern. They also opposed the efforts of British missionaries to introduce
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
, which threatened their religious influence through their oracle Ibini Ukpabi. The Aro led raids and invasions on communities were conducted in order to undermine British colonial penetration since the 1890s. While the British prepared for the invasion of
Arochukwu Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke-Igbo, is the third largest local government area in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people. It is ...
in November 1901, the Aro launched their last major offensive before the Aro Expedition by British forces. Aro forces led by Okoro Toti sacked Obegu (a British ally) which resulted in 400 people dying. This attack quickened British preparation for their offensive.


Aro expedition

Sir Ralph Moor and the
Royal Niger Company The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It was formed in 1879 as the ''United African Company '' and renamed to ''National African Company'' in 1881 and to ''Royal Niger C ...
had planned the attack on the Aros and the Ibini Ukpabi oracle since September 1899 but due to lack of necessary manpower, it was delayed until November 1901. On November 28, Lt. Col. Arthur Forbes Montanaro led 87 officers, 1,550 soldiers and 2,100 carriers in four axes of advance to Arochukwu from Oguta, Akwete,
Unwana Unwana, also known as Unwara, is a town and the third-most important urban area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is situated in the southern part of Ebonyi State. It is bordered in the north by Afikpo, in the west by Edda, and in the east by Cross Riv ...
and
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on a counter-insurgency campaign. As expected, Aro forces resisted all axes strongly, although they lacked modern weapons. However, Arochukwu was captured on December 28 after four days of fierce battles in and around the city. As a result, the Ibini Ukpabi shrine was allegedly blown up. Battles between British and Aro forces continued throughout the region until spring 1902 when Aro forces were defeated in the last major battle at Bende. The Aro Expedition ended three weeks later.


Result of the war

Some of the Aro leaders, like Okoro Toti, were arrested, tried by tribunals, and hanged. The power hitherto held by the Aro Confederacy quickly evaporated and Eze Kanu Okoro (king of Arochukwu), went into hiding but was later arrested. Although Aro dominance crumbled in March 1902, many Aros took part in guerilla campaigns against the British in the region such as in
Afikpo Ehugbo often referred to as Afikpo, is the second largest urban area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Afikpo North Local Government Area. It is situated in the southern part of Ebonyi State and is bordered to the north by ...
(1902–1903), Ezza (1905), and other areas where the Aro had a particularly significant presence. The defeat of the Aro did help the British to open up the interior, but serious opposition to British colonial penetration in
Igboland Igboland ( Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divide ...
clearly did not end with the Anglo-Aro War. In the years that followed, the British had to deal with many other conflicts and wars in various parts of Igboland such as the Nri Conflict (1905–1911), Ekumeku War (1883–1914), Igbo Women's War (1929), etc.


Major battles

* Battles in the Oguta/
Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...
area (November 1901) * Battles of Esu Itu (December 1901) * Battles of Arochukwu (December 1901) * Battle of Edimma (January 1902) * Battle of Ikotobo (January 1902) * Battle of Ikorodaka (February 1902) * Battle of Bende (March 1902)


References


External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20060216042659/http://www.aronetwork.org/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20120728080216/http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/alpha/aro1901.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20120722180453/http://www.britishcolonialafrica.com/PDFS/1_A_Falkland_Islander_DSO.pdf * https://books.google.com/books?id=WNwgU_0wQukC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq#v=onepage&q=&f=false * https://books.google.com/books?id=Hd-Jp1t2n4sC&pg=PT32&lpg=PT32&dq#v=onepage&q=&f=false * https://web.archive.org/web/20110610131138/http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/DLCD-DCSFT/pubs/bushwarfare/BushWarFare.pdf {{Igbo topics Conflicts in 1901 Conflicts in 1902 Wars involving the Aro Confederacy Wars involving Igboland Aros Military history of the British Empire History of Nigeria Wars involving the United Kingdom 20th-century military history of the United Kingdom Colonial Nigeria 1901 in Africa 1902 in Africa 1900s in Nigeria 1901 in Nigeria 1902 in Nigeria African resistance to colonialism Abolitionism Anti-slavery military operations