The revolution ended over 250 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar and led to the island's merger with Tanganyika to form Tanzania.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 January 1964
- Insurgent force size
- 600–800 men
- Estimated death toll
- Several hundreds to 20,000
- Estimated refugees
- Around 10,000 fled the island
- Arab dominance ended
- Over 250 years of Arab rule
- New president
- Abeid Karume
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Zanzibar's Arab minority retained political power after independence in 1963 despite being a demographic minority. The African Afro-Shirazi Party, frustrated by underrepresentation in parliament relative to its share of votes in the July 1963 elections, organized opposition to the Arab-dominated government of Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah.
On 12 January 1964, ASP leader John Okello mobilised 600–800 men on the island of Unguja. The insurgents overran the police force, seized their weapons, and marched on Zanzibar Town, overthrowing the Sultan and his government. The uprising was accompanied by massacres of Arab civilians, looting of Arab and South Asian properties, and violence against Indian residents.
Moderate ASP leader Abeid Karume became president of the new People's Republic of Zanzibar. Western governments feared communist influence, but a communist government never materialized. Karume negotiated a merger with Tanganyika in 1964, creating the new nation of Tanzania, widely seen as a move to limit radical communist influence over the island.