On January 12, 1964, in Zanzibar’s main island of Unguja, hundreds of fanatical fighters belonging to the Afro-Shirazi Youth led by John Okello, attacked police stations and seized armories outside Zanzibar’s capital of Stone Town. Now possessing firearms, the rebels proceeded to Stone Town, where they overwhelmed more police units and took control of government buildings, public utilities, and the city’s radio station. Within a few hours, the rebellion had gained the support of the vast majority of the general population. Scores of local civilians took up arms and joined the rebels in defeating the remaining government forces. Just nine hours after the uprising began, the rebels had gained full control of the capital. Zanzibar’s government collapsed, and the sultan and his Cabinet fled into exile abroad.
(Taken from Zanzibar Revolution – Wars of the 20th Century – Vol. 3)
Background In July 1963, legislative elections in Zanzibar had given the Arab Zanzibari political coalition, led by the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP), a majority in parliament. The main opposition party, the black African-dominated Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) had won fewer seats in the elections, despite garnering 54% of the popular vote. The ASP had accused the government of carrying out electoral fraud to ensure the ZNP’s victory. As a result, violence broke out that caused a number of civilian deaths.
Zanzibari society was religiously homogenous, with 99% of the population belonging to the Islamic faith. The country had three major ethnic groups: black Africans and mixed African-Persians (called Shirazi), both groups numbering 230,000 persons and comprising 76% of the population; ethnic Arabs at 50,000 or 17% of the population, and ethnic Indians at 20,000 or 6% of the population.
Traditionally, Zanzibar was stratified into three economic groups: ethnic Arabs, who owned vast tracts of agricultural lands; ethnic Indians, who dominated the business sector as traders and merchants; and the indigenous Africans, who comprised the great majority of the laborers and farm workers. However, many exceptions had developed over time, e.g. the majority of new Arab immigrants to Zanzibar were poor, and some black Zanzibaris became wealthy landowners.
A few weeks after Zanzibar gained its independence, rumors arose that the outlawed communist Umma Party was planning to overthrow the government and was secretly bringing in weapons to the island. The Zanzibari sultan asked Britain for military assistance, but the British government, which had already withdrawn British troops from Zanzibar, denied the request. Zanzibar’s defense thus was left to the island’s small police force.
Revolution Early in the morning of January 12, 1964, in Zanzibar’s main island of Unguja (also more commonly called Zanzibar, Map 20), hundreds of fanatical fighters belonging to the Afro-Shirazi Youth led by John Okello, attacked police stations and seized armories outside Zanzibar’s capital of Stone Town. Now possessing firearms, the rebels proceeded to Stone Town, where they overwhelmed more police units and took control of government buildings, public utilities, and the city’s radio station. Within a few hours, the rebellion had gained the support of the vast majority of the general population. Scores of local civilians took up arms and joined the rebels in defeating the remaining government forces. Just nine hours after the uprising began, the rebels had gained full control of the capital. Zanzibar’s government collapsed, and the sultan and his Cabinet fled into exile abroad.
Okello called on the ASP’s leader, Abeid Karume, to form a new government. The ASP and the Umma Party formed a ruling revolutionary council that was led by Karume, who also became Zanzibar’s first president. Karume’s government renamed the country the “People’s Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba”, and abolished the Zanzibar Sultanate and banned the deposed Sultan Abdullah from returning. Free politics ceased as the state-run ASP became the sole legal party that was allowed to operate.