In January 1964, the Tanganyikan Rifles, the only regiment in Tanganyika, mutinied. The chief complaint of the troops was that independence had not improved their chances of promotion; there were still only a handful of native Tanganyikans in the officer class, which was predominantly European. Some of the mutineers also spoke for disgruntled industrial workers who complained of a similar discrimination operating against black Africans in the job market. Nyerere was fearful on two counts. The obvious first concern was that, if unrest spread through the army, Tanganyikan security and his capacity to control the country would be gravely at risk. His second worry
Was that, since it was indigenous Tanganyikans who were at the heart of the troubles, this might be a sign of ethnic rivalry, one of the developments he was so eager to prevent in his dream of a non-racially conscious state.
The mutiny was serious enough for Nyerere to enlist outside British forces to contain it. He did so reluctantly since it seemed to suggest that Tanganyika was not yet fully independent of its old master. However, the immediate need was to suppress the mutiny. Once this was successfully accomplished, Nyerere moved quickly to order the arrest and court-martial of the mutineers. He claimed that a tough response was merited since the mutiny, if not quelled, could turn into a coup against him and the government.
World History
