Biafra had previously existed as an Independent multi-ethnic Republic consisting of the Igbo, Ijaw, Efik and Ibibio peoples to name a few and was declared by Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu for three years, 1967 through 1970. The federal government fought hard to preserve the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and did not like the idea of an independent state of Biafra. The result of tensions between Biafra and the federal government resulted in the Nigerian civil war that went on for three years. There were an estimated one to 3.5 million deaths that were heavily civilian casualties caused by starvation and death on the side of Biafra. In 1970, the Biafran forces surrendered through the armistice brokered by the defunct OAU.