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Breaking Boundaries: The Birth of the Somali Republic
In 1960, a momentous event occurred as the Trust Territory of Somaliland, previously under Italian rule, achieved independence from Italy. Simultaneously, it joined forces with the recently established State of Somalilan...
Historical Events
29- 1863 Slavery was abolished in the Dutch colony of Surinam, a date now celebrated as Ketikoti in independent Suriname. Suriname
- 1895 The East African Protectorate is established by Britain, with Mombasa as its capital. 🇰🇪 Kenya
- 1955 (c.) Sudanese state security forces violently suppress a worker strike in Nzara, killing eight southern civilians and exacerbating regional tensions. 🇸🇩 Sudan
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Kariuki Chotara attempts to assassinate Jomo Kenyatta inside Lokitaung detention camp before Waruhiu Itote intervenes. - 1960 The Trust Territory of Somaliland gains independence from Italy and merges with the State of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic. 🇸🇴 Somalia
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Ghana becomes a republic and Kwame Nkrumah becomes its first President. -
Ghana becomes a republic and Kwame Nkrumah becomes its first President as Queen Elizabeth II ceases to be its head of state.
- 1962 President Modibo Keïta exits the West African Monetary Union with Mali, launching the Malian franc to claim monetary sovereignty. 🇲🇱 Mali
- 1962 Rwanda and Burundi attain independence from Belgium.
- 1962 The separate states of Rwanda and Burundi attain full sovereignty, culminating the decolonization process of Ruanda-Urundi.
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Jamshid bin Abdullah begins his reign as the last Sultan of Zanzibar. -
Kwame Nkrumah forces the retirement of Major General Stephen Otu, Chief of Defence Staff, and his deputy Lieutenant General Joseph Arthur Ankrah over suspected coup conspiracies.
- 1966 The African Development Bank begins operations with its headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. 🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire
- 1968 (c.) Kenya government appoints Kitili Maluki Mwendwa as the country's first black African Chief Justice. 🇰🇪 Kenya
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Unknown assassins kill Tom Mboya, intensifying political tensions and distrust within Kenya. -
Yusufu Lule removed as Makerere Principal as Milton Obote uses the Makerere University Act to replace him with Frank Kalimuzo. -
Oscar Kambona named as the primary external instigator and tried in absentia in Tanzania's first formal treason trial, accused of channeling funds from London to plot a coup, charges he vigorously denies. - 1970 The University of Dar es Salaam is established. 🇹🇿 Tanzania
- 1971 The University of Benin becomes a full-fledged university. 🇳🇬 Nigeria
- 1971 The Kenya Government implements the salary adjustments from the Ndegwa Report for civil servants, teachers, and members of the armed forces. 🇰🇪 Kenya
- 1975 Ethiopia’s military government nationalises all urban land, rental houses and apartments. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
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Charles Njonjo negotiates secretly with Israeli emissaries to let the Israeli military use Nairobi airport as a refueling and medical stopover during Operation Entebbe. -
Kuaima Riruako elected in absentia by the OvaHerero Chiefs' Council as the substantive Paramount Chief while in Paris, France, with his reign retroactively dated to 27 March 1978. -
President Daniel arap Moi launches the District Focus for Rural Development strategy, positioning District Commissioners as the supreme chairpersons of all District Development Committees. -
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park & Mausoleum is opened in Accra, Ghana.
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Charles Njonjo appointed Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service Board by President Moi, guiding the agency through severe financial distress and restructuring.
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Navin Ramgoolam returns to the premiership leading the Alliance Sociale, which wins 38 of 60 mainland seats and launches structural reforms shifting Mauritius toward financial services, IT, and luxury real estate. - 2007 Burundi and Rwanda become full members of the East African Community.
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The East African Common Market Protocol, permiting the free movement of workers, capital, goods and services within the EAC, is launched by the chairman of the EAC, Kenya President Mwai Kibaki.
Famous Births
1-
The first president of Botswana, Seretse Khama, is born.
