Declare current union illegal, says Zanzibar group | Send to a friend |
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 22:42 |
digg By Hamoud Said The Citizen Correspondent Zanzibar.A group of Zanzibaris who are against the Union are seeking police permission to hold demonstration tomorrow in their continuing efforts to force the end of the current merger between Zanzibar and Tangayika, some 47 years ago. In their letter sent to the police here, the group calling itself Zanzibar Rights of Freedom and Autonomy (Zarfa) wants the police to okay the demonstration in Zanzibar streets, which will end with a public rally. "We will give our reply on the demonstration very soon. Demonstration is people's right but we have to evaluate it before giving a go-ahead," the Zanzibar Town regional police commander Aziz Juma said in a telephone interview when contacted yesterday. For his part, the leader of the group, Mr Rashid Salum Adiy, said: "We are determined to break the current union because it is illegal." Last Thursday, the anti-union group attempted to camp at the UN sub-offices in Zanzibar Stone Town, a planned move to force the UN to recognise Zanzibar as an independent State. "We want the UN to declare the current union between Zanzibar and Tanganyika illegal. We are prepared to stay here for days until the UN complies with our demands," Mr Adiy, said before police convinced the group to move out of the UN premises.Rashid claimed that his group represents opinion of more than 300,000 Zanzibaris who need to end the almost 50-year-old union. |