Chapter 579: Warming Up with a Treaty

Almost all of Britain’s remaining colonies today are on the African continent, which is also the main location of European interests today. In terms of individual colonies, there are none in British hands more important than British Malaya. But together they were not!

That is why Alan Wilson, as Commissioner for British Malaya, and also in his position as Deputy Secretary General of the Overseas Assets Control Board, also came all the way to Zanzibar for a meeting, again in deference to the African Commissioners.

The British African colonies, that is, at the end of the nineteenth century, the strategic extension of the British Empire from the mouth of the Nile River to the Cape of Good Hope to open up the African continent from south to north, and France’s strategy of controlling Africa from west to east appeared in conflict, and ultimately forced France to give in.

In the aftermath of World War I, Britain realized its desire to open up the African continent by getting its hands on the German colony that was blocking the plan, and the German colony that got its hands on it was Tanzania.

Do not think that this plan to open up the north and south of Africa is easy, Allen Wilson, if you remember correctly, the name of Britain’s successor to this plan is called the Soviet Union, in the Brezhnev period, the Soviet Union set off a global attack. But British Africa had become independent.

Brezhnev’s plan for Africa was to replicate the British strategy of the nineteenth century, starting in Egypt and working its way south, pushing into the Cape of Good Hope, and ultimately ending up in South Africa’s neighboring country, Angola, where a civil war broke out and a showdown between the Soviet Union and the United States ensued.

In the seventies, the Angolan civil war became more and more intense, and both the Soviet Union and the United States realized that it had come to a critical moment, and that the question of who could hold out in Africa was a matter of status, and face, between the two hegemons. The Soviet Union had already given the Angolan People’s Transportation a great deal of military and material assistance, including large quantities of arms and materiel piled up in neighboring Zambia’s Congo.

Brezhnev felt the need to take new measures at the time of the decisive battle, and he decided to send a large number of Soviet military advisers to Angola at the same time as seven thousand Cuban troops armed by the USSR were being sent to Angola, and Castro was very active in participating in the African liberation movement.

This was the first time that the Soviet Union had defeated the United States, as well as South Africa, the African landlord, at a distance in Africa. At the same time the Soviet Union’s global offensive was in the ascendant, and the strategy of penetrating Africa was close at hand.

Continuous pieces of British African colonies, the future will become the main battlefield of the Soviet Union’s strategic attack, Allen Wilson heart is very complex, while the heart cursed the United States this rebellious son of waste. It was amazing that they could lose to a fresh entrant in a place where Britain had ruled for so long.

But first, regardless of what will happen here in twenty years, but now Allen Wilson, as well as the commissioners in Africa, or to discuss the current plan.

Most of British Africa was on the east coast of Africa, where the devastation wasn’t really that bad. Because of the Triangle Slave Trade, which was mainly on the west coast of Africa, no one would go around a very large circle to capture slaves on the east coast and then sell them to the United States in a circle around the Cape of Good Hope.

Although both eastern and western Africa are black, they are actually still different, for example, blacks in eastern African countries are good at long-distance running, while blacks in western African countries and blacks sold to America always come out with sprinting masters.

Before the official meeting started, a group of white commissioners, including Allen Wilson, were guests at the Sultan’s Palace in Zanzibar.

From the term sultan, it was clear that Zanzibar was a country where the religion of peace was absolutely dominant. Before the age of the great voyages, the oceans of the world were in the hands of the Arabs, and along with the routes of the Arab traders, the religion of peace traveled from the east as far as the East Indies, and southward as far as the south of Africa.

The Omani Empire had established colonies from the mainland to French Madagascar, properly a colonial empire on the shelf.

Because it was completely different from Tanzania proper, Alan Wilson, in his exchange with the Zanzibar commissioner, stated that something should be done about the religious conflict, a way to stir up the Christians on Zanzibar and on the continent of Africa, and ideally there should be a bloodbath.

“The useful experience we have had from the partition of British India should be carried forward, and whenever a religious conflict arises, we have in passing cultivated the conflict between Zanzibar and Tanzania, so that we can in passing prevent any attempt to merge any Tanzania and Zanzibar, gentlemen, is that not so?”

The conversation between Alan Wilson and Commissioner Zanzibar elicited a chorus of agreement from the surrounding gentlemen that this should be done.

“But Tanzania is at least Christian, isn’t that a bit?” Tanzanian Commissioner Blake shook his head and laughed bitterly, “Of course I’m not against it, but I find it a bit strange.”

“Blake, this won’t hurt Tanzania, religious conflicts happen naturally and have no conflict with us.” Alan Wilson signaled that the risk was manageable, “This isn’t British India after all, we could still easily mediate a conflict the size of a million people. If you’re worried, I have a much tougher job in British Malaya, where there are still tens of millions of people.”

“If we’re comparing numbers, I’m the Nigerian Commissioner. Not only does Nigeria have thirty million people, but with pacifists in the north and Christians in the south, there are about the same number.”

As soon as the Nigerian commissioner’s words fell, the many colonial commissioners were stunned, and then spoke up in unison, “So, this is a good place to implement partition. It is simply another reproduction of British India. But before that can must pay close attention, find ways to create conflict between the two major religions, and yet ensure that it does not affect the interests of the British Empire at this stage.”

Several ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Hausa are a subdivided Sahelian ethnic group, mainly concentrated in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, who use the Hausa language, which belongs to the Chadian group of languages, and generally believe in the religion of peace.

The Igbo, one of the major black ethnic groups in West Africa, are found mainly in the Niger and estuarine regions of southeastern Nigeria, and to a lesser extent in Cameroon. They are predominantly Catholic, but retain a large element of primitive religion, with a small group practicing Judaism.

With these two ethnic groups at its core, Nigeria’s population is much more balanced than that of British India. It is almost a 50/50 split, with a natural basis for partition. It is even more balanced than adjusted British Malaya!

“There is this foundation instead there is no need to rush, like the land under our feet like this, its own strength is insufficient, but not far from the continent, and also easy to be infiltrated by Tanzania, only more dangerous.” Alan Wilson pulled the topic back and discussed with his colleagues, “Zanzibar is an easy way to blockade Tanzania, such an important location we need to protect.”

Speaking of this Alan Wilson looked towards the Khalifa Sultan who was not far away, opened his mouth and commanded the palace guard next to him, “You cut to call the Khalifa over, and say that I have a suggestion that I want to discuss with the honorable Sultan.”

Alan Wilson remembered that Tanzania later seemed to have a nickname called the East African Liberation Army? Now that he knew about it, he had to take on the duty of defending the interests of the empire by preventing Tanzania and Zanzibar from merging, while at the same time using Zanzibar to keep Tanzania from developing.

The Sultan of Zanzibar, Khalifa, an Arab, came to the middle of a group of colonizers in no time, and before the official meeting began, a group of white British commissioners, first talked to Sultan Khalifa about Zanzibar.

“Honorable Sultan Khalifa, you should know this one thing, the current model of Zanzibar with Arabs at the top and blacks at the bottom is very dangerous. And it is easy to be infiltrated by the blacks in Tanzania, after all, Zanzibar is only forty kilometers away from the mainland, which is not such an insurmountable distance.” Alan Wilson said this with a turn of phrase asking rhetorically, “I wonder what the Sultan sees as the role of Britain here?”

Although it was true that 90% of the population of Zanzibar were pacifists, there was also the issue of ethnicity in addition to religion. Once Tanzania became independent, it was inevitable that it would not miss Zanzibar, an archipelago that could be a threat to Tanzania’s important port trips.

“Commissioner Wilson, Britain is a balancer.” Sultan Khalifa said hesitantly.

“It is also a friend to the monarchs of various countries, the British Empire is also a monarchy, and in any case, we will not take the initiative to do anything to a country’s monarch.” Alan Wilson nodded his head in satisfaction, “I have a proposal to exchange some conditions with the Sultan of Khalifa.”

“Please ask Commissioner Wilson to make it clearer.” The Khalifa Sultan was a little puzzled as to what exactly the other party’s purpose was.

“Honorable Sultan, although we, Britain, are colonizers, we are actually a modest threat to the upper Arab population on the island, the real threat is the blacks on the mainland, and actually? If I’m not mistaken, even on the island of Zanzibar, the more the blacks occupy the majority position.” Alan Wilson, embarrassed, asked rhetorically, “I’m very worried about that, ah. It’s so far from the Arab countries.”

If Alan Wilson had any merit, it was honesty, pointing out directly what worried the Arabs on Zanzibar the most.

“If the Honorable Sultan, can guarantee the British use of the island’s ports and maintain the British Empire’s interests there. I would be able to help in the matter of Zanzibar joining the Arab League. Even if it’s not independent, it could go in first.” Alan Wilson nodded as he said this, “But I want to see the sincerity of the Sultan.”

Overall, even though Tanzania was not yet independent, Alan Wilson was going to nip the danger in the bud now. Preventing the archipelago, which was able to blockade Tanzania, from finally being merged.

Since the Sultan of Khalifa had no objections, it was time to warm up with a new treaty before waiting for the French Governor of Madagascar to arrive.