A CURRENT APPRAISAL OF THE ZANZIBAR SITUATION

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06172222
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: November 16, 2017
• Case Number: F-2016-01799
• Publication Date: March 30, 1964

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STATE/INR DIA ARMY/ACSI NAVY AIR JCS UCH! NSA NI. AID USIA .00I ONI OCR ORR 00
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Intelligence tion Cable-
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DATE OF JANUARY:- MARCH 1964
COUNTRY ZANZIBAR
1,
40111:4S014
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
SOURCE
AND
APPRAISAL.
5
APPRAISAL OF.3.-TaBRANZIB
SITUATION
(LATE MARCH 1964Y
REF
FIELD REPORT Nd
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
maw-
.1;1. ,THERE, WERE; TWO,. .PARALLE AND SEPARATE; REVOLTS. IN THE
JANUARY zANzirma cow), .IN ONE GROUP , HANGA,, HABIT, ABpui.,A,zi,
sA.Lpi SAADA,LLA AKIDA, AND A:, FEW, OTitEit:-.,UMIdA
PARTy MEN, WERE ORGANIZING' ONE ,COUP
,,y, AT, THE. SAME,:.:TIME� EX-FIELD
MARSHAL:, JOHN..:.OHELLOj ,HAD ORGANIZED- 'A SEPARATE: COUP WITHOUT THE
KNOWLEDGE OF , THE HANGAYBABU GROUP .
� ,
� ;- ��'.:�t � 1.. � - .
2 . PRESIDENT ABEID AMANI KARUME OF: THE., PEOPLES REPUBLIC
OF ZANZIBAR, (PRZ) AND MINISTER. Or. HgAxja,-ABOUD.1�MBE. MWINYI .
. �.
WERE PROBABLY.. NOT AWARE . OF EITHER COUP PLAN UNTIL; THE: LAST,
_ mnipTg OTHMAN SHARIFF MUSA WAS ALSO NOT INVOLVED IN EITHER
COUP-. SHAR I FF , EX N I STER OFf ED.PC A'TI ON , . SUSPECTED THAT THE
.HAN9A(BAHU, GROUP WERE UPTO"..SOMETHING- .1."0,R.; WHEN SHARIFF. URGED:
FORMATIPN,QF,, COALITION GrOVEHNMENT: COMPOSED Of' T.H;, ZANZIBAR
;rigs .01;31it1012 sneCting the National DCfeneoi Of the United Stites within the meaning Of the nspionago LOW, title
18, $091-393 ,,,,, the_trananilselow frinition of which in any manner .to an uniuthcolled pireon, lu PrOlAbit.4 by law.
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NATIONALIST PARTY (ZNP) AND THE AFRO-SHIRAZI PARTY (ASP), SALEH
SAADALLA AKIDA, WITH WHOM SHARIFF WORKED IN OPPOSING KARUME'S ASP
LEADERSHIP, OPPOSED THIS ACTION AND PROMISED SHARIFF HE WOULD BE
A MINISTER WITHIN ONE MONTH.
3. IF OKELIP HAD NOT STAGED HIS COUP, KARUME WOULD NOT BE
PRESIDENT, FOR THE HANGA/BABU GROUP WERE OPPOSED TO KARUME. ALSO,
moo'
THE GOVERNMENT OF TANGANYIKA (GOT) WAS "FED UP" WITH KARUME PRIOR
TO THE COUP. TANGANYIKA MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE,
OSCAR KAMBONAIWAS WORKING WITH THE HANGA/BABU GROUP. KENYA MINISTER
OF HOME AFFAIRS OGINGA ODINGAa TANGANYIKAN MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS
einommumm
JOB LUSINDE AND GOT PRESIDENT JULIUS NYERERE WERE ALSO AWARE OF THE
COUP PLANS. KAMBONA SOUNDED OUT OTHMAN SHARIFF ABOUT 10 DAYS BEFORE
THE COUP ON WHAT SHARIFF THOUGHT SHOULD BE DONE. AT THIS TIME
SHARIFF RECOMMENDED A COALITION GOVERNMENT FOR ZANZIBAR. LATER
KAMBONA TOLD AN UNIDENTIFIED PERSON THAT SHARIFF WAS A FOOL AND
COULD NOT BE TOLD OF THE COUP.
4. ARMS FOR THE HANGA/BABU COUP GROUP WERE SHIPPED TO
� TANGANYIKA FROM ALGERIA. IN THE MEANTIME, HOWEVER, JOHN OKELLO
LED HIS COUP GROUP INTO ACTION, MAKING IT NECESSARY FOR THE HANGA/BABU
GROUP TO JOIN OKELLO AND HIS FORCES.
5. MEMBERS OF THE HANGA/BABU GROUP WERE AT THE ISRAELI EMBASSY ?
IN DAR ES SALAAM JUST PRIOR TO THE ZANZIBAR REVOLUTION.
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6. THERE IS LITTLE POSSIBILITY OF OBTAINING ANY HELP FROM
KENYA AND TANGANYIKA IN REGARDS TO OVERTHROWING BABU, AS BABU IS
TOO CLOSELY ALLIED WITH OGINGA ODINGA IN KENYA, AND OSCAR KAMBONA
IN TANGANYIKA. HOWEVER, KENYA PRESIDENT JOMO KENYATTA AND TANGANYIKA
PRESIDENT JULIUS NYERERE WOULD SUPPORT A REVISED ZANZIBAR GOVERNMENT
IF BABU AND HIS SUPPORTERS WERE REMOVED.:
7. THABIT KOMBO GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE ASP, IS POLITICALLY
-A:nil, OF THE STRONGEST MEN IN ZANZIBAR. HIS INFLUENCE AMONG THE PEOPLE,
AND HIS INFLUENCE OVER KARUME COULD EVEN RESULT IN HAVING BABU AND
THE COMMUNISTS ELEMENT OVERTHROWN.
8. THE NEW FIELD MARSHAL WHO REPLACED JOHN OKELLO YUSUF
.....ammumemmomm.winam. � 4f.
HTUMIDI WHO IS NOT POLITICALLY BRIGHT, IS AN AVID BACKER OF KARUME
AND COULD BE COUNTED ON TO DEFEND KARUME'S INTERESTS. HIMIDI HAS
836 MEN AT HIS DISPOSAL, MANY OF WHOM ARE NOW DISARMED, BUT -TBE
ismonneum
ARMS ARE HELD IN A DEPOT WHICH IS GUARDED BY MEN FROM HIS COMMAND,
THESE GUARDS WERE. SELECTED FOR THE JOB BY KARUME.
9. WHEREAS HIMIDI IS LOYAL TO KARUME, CHIEF OF THE ZANZIBAR
juismax POLICE ALI MAHFUDH MOHAMED IS JUST AS LOYAL. TO BABU. MAHFUDH
CONTROLS ABOUT 200 MILITARY POLICE. HIMIDI'S FORCE OF 836 MEN
HOWEVER, ARE A FORMIDABLE COUNTERBALANCE TO MAHFUDH 'S MEN.
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