The Anglo-Zanzibar War
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was a conflict between the UK and Zanzibar.
It started when Sultan Hamid was assassinated on August 25, 1896. His nephew, Khalid, moved to the palace complex at the capital — without British approval. He ignored the warnings.
The British wanted Hamud bin Muhammad to be Sultan. The British demanded that Khalid step down immediately or they would declare war. As a threat, 3 British warships appeared in the harbor. Khalid didn’t step down.
At 9 o’clock the warships opened fire on the palace. A short battle took place. 500 Zanzibaris were killed while only 1 British sailor was injured. No British troops were killed. The war lasted just 38 minutes!
Hamud was installed as Sultan. With his powers reduced, Khalid fled to German East Africa where he lived until 1916. In 1916, he was captured by the British and exiled.
Today Zanzibar is a part of Tanzania.
