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One of the most furious battles of the inconclusive war was fought on the financial front. When the federal government, seeking to prevent Biafra from using Nigerian money to buy arms abroad, called in all its old bank notes and replaced them with a new currency, Biafrans hurriedly tried to ship millions of Nigerian pounds in their possession to Switzerland in order to sell them for other negotiable currencies. The government of Togo impounded one DC-7 bulging with Nigerian bank notes from Biafra when it made an emergency landing in that nearby West African country, and last week the Biafrans were forced to begin issuing their own currency.
Maze of Forests. The federal government, led by Major General Yakubu Gowon, has vowed to finish off Biafra by March 31. Biafra's Ojukwu says that the federal government is "like an elephant trying to fight billions of ants," hopes that it will eventually tire of its attempt to subdue his people. Ensconced in an area about the size of South Carolina, the Biafrans look as though they can hold out for quite some time to come in their maze of thick forests, mangrove swamps, rivers and winding waterways. Already, federal officers are beginning to admit that they may not defeat Biafra by the end of March, when seasonal rains will make the unkind terrain even more unsuitable for combat.