People's Republic of Zanzibar

Last updated
People's Republic of Zanzibar
Jamhuri ya Watu wa Zanzibar
1964
Flag of Zanzibar (January-April 1964).svg
Map of Zanzibar Archipelago-en.svg
Capital Zanzibar City
Common languages Swahili, Arabic, English
Religion
Islam
Government Unitary socialist republic
President  
• 23 Jan – 26 Apr 1964
Abeid Karume
Prime Minister 
• 12 January 1964 – 27 April 1964
Abdullah Kassim Hanga
Historical era Cold War
12 January 1964
Currency East African shilling
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1963).svg Sultanate of Zanzibar
Zanzibar Flag of Zanzibar.svg
Tanzania Flag of Tanzania.svg
Today part of Tanzania

The People's Republic of Zanzibar (Swahili : Jamhuri ya watu wa Zanzibar) was a short-lived African state founded in 1964, consisting of the islands of the Zanzibar Archipelago. It existed for less than a year before it merged with Tanganyika to create the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which would be renamed to Tanzania in October of that year.

Contents

History

In the wake of the Zanzibar Revolution, a Revolutionary Council was established by the ASP and Umma parties to act as an interim government, with Abeid Karume heading the council as President and Abdulrahman Mohammad Babu serving as the Minister of External Affairs. [1] The country was renamed the People's Republic of Zanzibar; [2] the new government's first acts were to permanently banish the Sultan and to ban the Zanzibar Nationalist Party and Zanzibar and Pemba People's Party. [3] Seeking to distance himself from the volatile John Okello, Karume quietly sidelined him from the political scene, although he was allowed to retain his self-bestowed title of field marshal. [1] [2] However, Okello's revolutionaries soon began reprisals against the Arab and Asian population of Unguja, carrying out beatings, rapes, murders, and attacks on property. [1] [2] He claimed in radio speeches to have killed or imprisoned tens of thousands of his "enemies and stooges", [2] but actual estimates of the number of deaths vary greatly, from "hundreds" to 20,000. Some Western newspapers give figures of 2,000–4,000; [4] [5] the higher numbers may be inflated by Okello's own broadcasts and exaggerated reports in some Western and Arab news media. [2] [6] [7] The killing of Arab prisoners and their burial in mass graves was documented by an Italian film crew, filming from a helicopter, for Africa Addio and this sequence of film comprises the only known visual document of the killings. [8] Many Arabs fled to safety in Oman, [6] although by Okello's order no Europeans were harmed. [1] The post-revolution violence did not spread to Pemba. [7]

By 3 February, Zanzibar was finally returning to normality, and Karume had been widely accepted by the people as their president. [9] A police presence was back on the streets, looted shops were re-opening, and unlicensed arms were being surrendered by the civilian populace. [9] The revolutionary government announced that its political prisoners, numbering 500, would be tried by special courts. Okello formed the Freedom Military Force (FMF), a paramilitary unit made up of his own supporters, which patrolled the streets and looted Arab property. [10] [11] The behaviour of Okello's supporters, his violent rhetoric, Ugandan accent, and Christian beliefs were alienating many in the largely moderate Zanzibari and Muslim ASP, [12] and by March many members of his FMF had been disarmed by Karume's supporters and the Umma Party militia. On 11 March Okello was stripped of his rank of Field Marshal, [11] [12] [13] and was denied entry when trying to return to Zanzibar from a trip to the mainland. He was deported to Tanganyika and then to Kenya, before returning destitute to his native Uganda. [12]

In April, the government formed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and completed the disarmament of Okello's remaining FMF militia. [12] On 26 April, Karume announced that a union had been negotiated with Tanganyika to form the new country of Tanzania. [14] The merger was seen by contemporary media as a means of preventing communist subversion of Zanzibar; at least one historian states that it may have been an attempt by Karume, a moderate socialist, to limit the influence of the radically left-wing Umma Party. [10] [14] [15] However, many of the Umma Party's socialist policies on health, education and social welfare were adopted by the government. [7]

Foreign reaction

British military forces in Kenya were made aware of the revolution at 4:45 am on 12 January, and following a request from the Sultan were put on 15 minutes' standby to conduct an assault on Zanzibar's airfield. [2] [16] However, the British High Commissioner in Zanzibar, Timothy Crosthwait, reported no instances of British nationals being attacked and advised against intervention. As a result, the British troops in Kenya were reduced to four hours' standby later that evening. Crosthwait decided not to approve an immediate evacuation of British citizens, as many held key government positions and their sudden removal would further disrupt the country's economy and government. [16] To avoid possible bloodshed, the British agreed a timetable with Karume for an organised evacuation.

Within hours of the revolution, the American ambassador had authorised the withdrawal of US citizens on the island, and a US Navy destroyer, the USS Manley, arrived on 13 January. [17] The Manley docked at Zanzibar Town harbour, but the US had not sought the Revolutionary Council's permission for the evacuation, and the ship was met by a group of armed men. [17] Permission was eventually granted on 15 January, but the British considered this confrontation to be the cause of much subsequent ill will against the Western powers in Zanzibar. [18]

Western intelligence agencies believed that the revolution had been organised by communists supplied with weapons by the Warsaw Pact countries. This suspicion was strengthened by the appointment of Babu as Minister for External Affairs and Abdullah Kassim Hanga as Prime Minister, both known leftists with possible communist ties. [2] Britain believed that these two were close associates of Oscar Kambona, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Tanganyika, and that former members of the Tanganyika Rifles had been made available to assist with the revolution. [2] Some members of the Umma Party wore Cuban military fatigues and beards in the style of Fidel Castro, which was taken as an indication of Cuban support for the revolution. [19] However, this practice was started by those members who had staffed a ZNP branch office in Cuba and it became a common means of dress amongst opposition party members in the months leading up to the revolution. [19] The new Zanzibar government's recognition of the German Democratic Republic (the first African government to do so), and of North Korea, was further evidence to the Western Powers that Zanzibar was aligning itself closely with the communist bloc. [11] Just six days after the revolution, The New York Times stated that Zanzibar was "on the verge of becoming the Cuba of Africa", but on 26 January denied that there was active communist involvement. [4] [20] Zanzibar continued to receive support from communist countries and by February was known to be receiving advisers from USSR, East Germany and China. [21] At the same time, Western influence was diminishing and by July 1964 just one Briton, a dentist, remained in the employ of the Zanzibari government. [22] It has been alleged that Israeli spymaster David Kimche was a backer of the revolution [23] with Kimche in Zanzibar on the day of the Revolution. [24]

The deposed Sultan made an unsuccessful appeal to Kenya and Tanganyika for military assistance, [16] although Tanganyika sent 100 paramilitary police officers to Zanzibar to contain rioting. [2] Other than the Tanganyika Rifles (formerly the colonial King's African Rifles), the police were the only armed force in Tanganyika, and on 20 January the police absence led the entire Rifles regiment to mutiny. [2] Dissatisfied with their low pay rates and with the slow progress of the replacement of their British officers with Africans, [25] the soldiers' mutiny sparked similar uprisings in both Uganda and Kenya. However, order on the African mainland was rapidly restored without serious incident by the British Army and Royal Marines. [26]

The possible emergence of an African communist state remained a source of disquiet in the West. In February, the British Defence and Overseas Policy Committee said that, while British commercial interests in Zanzibar were "minute" and the revolution by itself was "not important", the possibility of intervention must be maintained. [27] The committee was concerned that Zanzibar could become a centre for the promotion of communism in Africa, much like Cuba had in the Americas. [27] Britain, most of the Commonwealth, and the United States withheld recognition of the new regime until 23 February, by which time it had already been recognised by much of the communist bloc. [28] In Crosthwait's opinion, this contributed to Zanzibar aligning itself with the Soviet Union; Crosthwait and his staff were expelled from the country on 20 February and were only allowed to return once recognition had been agreed. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

The African Great Lakes nation of Tanzania dates formally from 1964, when it was formed out of the union of the much larger mainland territory of Tanganyika and the coastal archipelago of Zanzibar. The former was a colony and part of German East Africa from the 1880s to 1919’s when, under the League of Nations, it became a British mandate. It served as a British military outpost during World War II, providing financial help, munitions, and soldiers. In 1947, Tanganyika became a United Nations Trust Territory under British administration, a status it kept until its independence in 1961. The island of Zanzibar thrived as a trading hub, successively controlled by the Portuguese, the Sultanate of Oman, and then as a British protectorate by the end of the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanzibar</span> Autonomous part of Tanzania

Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afro-Shirazi Party</span> Political party in Tanzania

The Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) was a Marxist-Leninist, African nationalist Zanzibari political party formed between the mostly Shirazi Shiraz Party and the mostly African Afro Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abeid Karume</span> Tanzanian politician

Abeid Amani Karume was the first President of Zanzibar. He obtained this title as a result of a revolution which led to the deposing of Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah, the last reigning Sultan of Zanzibar, in January 1964. Three months later, the United Republic of Tanzania was founded, and Karume became the first Vice President of the United Republic with Julius Nyerere of Tanganyika as president of the new country. He was the father of Zanzibar's former president, Amani Abeid Karume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanzibar Revolution</span> 1964 overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar

The Zanzibar Revolution occurred in January 1964 and led to the overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government by the island's majority Black African population.

John Gideon Okello was a Ugandan revolutionary and the leader of the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964. This revolution overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah and led to the proclamation of Zanzibar as a republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Zanzibar</span> 1856–1964 monarchy in the Indian Ocean

The Sultanate of Zanzibar, also known as the Zanzibar Sultanate, was a state controlled by the Sultan of Zanzibar, in place between 1856 and 1964. The Sultanate's territories varied over time, and at their greatest extent spanned all of present-day Kenya and the Zanzibar Archipelago off the Swahili Coast. After a decline, the state had sovereignty over only the archipelago and a 16-kilometre-wide (10 mi) strip along the Kenyan coast, with the interior of Kenya constituting the British Kenya Colony and the coastal strip administered as a de facto part of that colony.

Abdulrahman Mohamed Babu was a Zanzibar-born Marxist and pan-Africanist nationalist who played an important role in the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution and served as a minister under Julius Nyerere after the island was merged with mainland Tanganyika to form Tanzania. He was jailed by Nyerere from 1972 and, after his release following an international campaign, remained a vocal critic of imperialism, authoritarian states and excessively statist development models.

People have lived in Zanzibar for 20,000 years. History properly starts when the islands became a base for traders voyaging between the African Great Lakes, the Somali Peninsula, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. Unguja offered a protected and defensible harbor, so although the archipelago had few products of value, Omanis and Yemenis settled in what became Zanzibar City as a convenient point from which to trade with towns on the Swahili Coast. They established garrisons on the islands and built the first mosques in the African Great Lakes Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanganyika Territory</span> British mandate in Africa from 1919 to 1961

Tanganyika was a colonial territory in East Africa which was administered by the United Kingdom in various guises from 1916 to 1961. It was initially administered under a military occupation regime. From 20 July 1922, it was formalised into a League of Nations mandate under British rule. From 1946, it was administered by the UK as a United Nations trust territory.

The Umma Party was a Marxist political party in Zanzibar. It was founded in 1963 by disaffected socialist Arabs from the ruling Zanzibar Nationalist Party and had several internal factions, including Marxist-Leninists, Maoists, and anarcho-socialists. It was led by Abdulrahman Muhammad Babu and supported the Afro-Shirazi Party during the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution. Babu was made Minister of External Affairs following the revolution. The party merged into the Afro-Shirazi Party on 8 March 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Parthenon</span> 1964 planned British military operation

Operation Parthenon was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. The operation was authorised by the British Commanders Committee East Africa on 30 January. The main objectives were to restore law and order in Zanzibar and to prevent the radical left-wing Umma Party from taking control of the government from the moderate Afro-Shirazi Party. The forces assigned to the operation included two aircraft carriers, three destroyers, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, 13 helicopters, 21 transport or reconnaissance aircraft, a battalion of Foot Guards, a battalion of Royal Marines and an independent company of paratroopers. The plan was to launch a helicopter and parachute assault of Unguja, Zanzibar's main island, before proceeding to take the smaller island of Pemba. If it had been carried out, Parthenon would have been the largest British airborne and amphibious operation since the Suez Crisis of 1956. Parthenon was scrapped around the 20 February and replaced with Operation Boris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Boris</span> 1964 planned British military operation

Operation Boris was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. It was devised around 20 February to be used if the radical left-wing Umma Party attempted to take power. It replaced the earlier sea-based Operation Parthenon with a parachute assault launched from Kenya. However the operation was not required and was jeopardised by the lack of co-operation from the Kenyan government and populace for an attack on Zanzibar. Boris was replaced by Operation Finery, an amphibious helicopter assault, on 9 April 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Finery</span> 1964 planned British military operation

Operation Finery was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. It was a replacement for the earlier operations Parthenon and Boris, amphibious and airborne assaults. Finery circumvented the reliance of the previous plans on bases in Kenya, where government and local support for intervention were not forthcoming. Instead, Finery would have utilised the commando carrier HMS Bulwark to land Royal Marines on Zanzibar to protect Karume's government. Because of delays in the deployment of Bulwark, Finery was supplemented by Operation Shed, which could be launched at shorter notice. The expected coup did not occur, and Finery was scrapped on 29 April 1964, although Operation Shed remained in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Shed</span> 1964 planned British military operation

Operation Shed was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 Zanzibar revolution. It was one of a series of operations devised by the British to be implemented in the case of an attempt to seize power from President Abeid Karume by the radical left-wing Umma Party. Shed succeeded the earlier Operations Parthenon and Boris and was an alternative to Operation Finery. Shed would have involved an airlift of a battalion of troops to Unguja to provide support to Karume and to protect European citizens. The risk of a coup passed by 29 April 1964 and it was determined that any intervention would be opposed by Karume's forces and a Soviet training team. With this in mind Shed was modified on 9 June to an airborne assault by Royal Marine commandos from HMS Centaur, which would then be supported by the landing of a battalion and armoured cars from Kenya. The continuing presence of British and friendly nationals in Zanzibar complicated the matter and, around 23 September 1964, Shed was replaced by Plan Giralda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plan Giralda</span>

Plan Giralda was a British plan for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution. Giralda was intended to be launched if the radical left-wing Umma Party attempted to launch a coup against the government of President Julius Nyerere's newly formed Tanzania. It was the fifth and final British plan for such an eventuality, following Operations Parthenon, Boris, Finery and Shed. Giralda would have required British Army units, Royal Marines and Royal Navy vessels from the Far East to be deployed to Zanzibar if a request was received from Nyerere. Follow on units would be sent after the main assault from the British garrison in Kenya. The operational constraints of sending troops over such long distances, the reluctance of the Kenyan government to weaken the British presence in their country, the reduction of Western presence in Zanzibar and the strengthening of the political situation in Tanzania made intervention unlikely and the plan was suspended in October 1964. The newly elected Labour government cancelled the plan in December.

Freedom of religion in Tanzania refers to the extent to which people in Tanzania are freely able to practice their religious beliefs, taking into account both government policies and societal attitudes toward religious groups.

Zanzibari independence is a political ambition of some political parties, advocacy groups, and individuals of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region territory within Tanzania, to become an independent sovereign state.

East Germany–Zanzibar relations concerned historical foreign and bilateral relations between the German Democratic Republic and the People's Republic of Zanzibar, both of which are now former states. During the short existence of Zanzibar as an independent state, which emerged in the wake of the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution, East Germany was a key ally of the fledgling island state. East Germany initiated a number of assistance programs to Zanzibar, and established its first embassy in Africa on Zanzibar. Once Zanzibar entered into a union with Tanganyika, the issue of relations with East Germany became politically complex.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Speller 2007 , p. 7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Parsons 2003 , p. 107.
  3. ↑ Conley, Robert (14 January 1964). "Regime Banishes Sultan". The New York Times. p. 4.
  4. 1 2 Conley, Robert (19 January 1964). "Nationalism Is Viewed as Camouflage for Reds". The New York Times . p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Slaughter in Zanzibar of Asians, Arabs Told". Los Angeles Times. 20 January 1964. p. 4. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  6. 1 2 Plekhanov 2004 , p. 91.
  7. 1 2 3 Sheriff & Ferguson 1991 , p. 241.
  8. ↑ Daly 2009 , p. 42
  9. 1 2 Dispatch of The Times London (4 February 1964). "Zanzibar Quiet, With New Regime Firmly Seated". The New York Times. p. 9.
  10. 1 2 Speller 2007 , p. 15
  11. 1 2 3 Sheriff & Ferguson 1991 , p. 242
  12. 1 2 3 4 Speller 2007 , p. 17.
  13. ↑ Conley, Robert (March 12, 1964). "Zanzibar Regime Expels Okello". The New York Times. p. 11.
  14. 1 2 Conley, Robert (27 April 1964). "Tanganyika gets new rule today". The New York Times . p. 11.
  15. ↑ Speller 2007 , p. 19.
  16. 1 2 3 Speller 2007 , p. 8.
  17. 1 2 Speller 2007 , pp. 8–9.
  18. ↑ Speller 2007 , p. 9.
  19. 1 2 Lofchie 1967 , p. 37
  20. ↑ Franck, Thomas M. (26 January 1964). "Zanzibar Reassessed". The New York Times . pp. E10.
  21. ↑ Speller 2007 , p. 18.
  22. ↑ Speller 2007 , pp. 27–28.
  23. ↑ David Kimche (16 March 2010). "Israeli spymaster found himself embroiled in Iran-Contra". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  24. ↑ p.161 Pateman, Roy Residual Uncertainty: Trying to Avoid Intelligence and Policy Mistakes in the Modern World 2003 University Press of Kentucky.
  25. ↑ Speller 2007 , p. 10
  26. ↑ Parsons 2003 , pp. 109–110
  27. 1 2 Speller 2007 , p. 12
  28. 1 2 Speller 2007 , p. 13

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.