Anglo-Aro War
| Anglo-Aro War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Scramble for Africa | |||||||
 A photograph of Arochukwu burning | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Britain |
 Aro Confederacy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Arthur Montanaro Alexander Jackson Arthur Mackenzie Arthur Festing William Heneker |
Kanu Okoro Okori Torti | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1,637 | 7,500+ | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ~700–800 killed or wounded | Heavy | ||||||
The Anglo-Aro War (1901–1902) was a conflict between the Aro Confederacy in present-day Eastern Nigeria, and the British Empire. 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 and beyond, was challenged in the last decades of the 19th century by increasing British colonial penetration of the hinterland. The Aro people 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:
To put a stop to slave dealing and the slave trade generally with a view to the Slave Dealing Proclamation No. 5 of 1901 being enforced throughout the entire territories as from first of January next; to abolish the Juju hierarchy of the Aro tribe, which by superstition and fraud causes much injustice among the coast tribes generally and is opposed to the establishment of Government. The power of the priesthood is also employed in obtaining natives for sale as slaves and it is essential to finally break it; to open up the country of the entire Aro to civilization; to induce the natives to engage in legitimate trade; to introduce a currency in lieu of slaves, brass rods, and other forms of native currency and to facilitate trade transactions; to eventually establish a labour market as a substitute to the present system of slavery.[1][2]
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.[3]
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, 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 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
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
Major battles
- Battles in the Oguta/Owerri 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
- ^ Edward Harland Duckworth, ed., Nigeria magazine, issues 140–147 (Cultural Division of the Federal Ministry of Information, Nigeria, 1982), p. 31
- ^ Adiele Eberechukwu Afigbo, The Abolition of the Slave Trade in Southeastern Nigeria, 1885–1950 (University of Rochester Press, 2006), p. 44
- ISBN 978-1317461098. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
External links
- "Search Results". aronetwork.org. 26 May 2004. Archived from the original on 16 February 2006.
- "Britain Aro Expedition 1901-1902". onwar.com. 14 February 2001. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "A Falkland Islander DSO, by Keith Steward F.R.G.S." (PDF). britishcolonialafrica.com. 22 July 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012.
- Ekechi, F.K. (1972). Missionary Enterprise and Rivalry in Igboland, 1857-1914. Cass library of African studies. Cass. ISBN 978-0-7146-2778-6.
- Falola, T. (2009). Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria. Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00339-3.
- "BUSH WARFARE: The Early Writings of General Sir William C.G. Heneker, KCB KCMG DSO" (PDF). army.forces.gc.ca. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.