Status verified as of 22 September 2026. Political positions change; this explainer describes the documented position on that date.
Current position
Zanzibar remains a semi-autonomous part of the United Republic of Tanzania. The main opposition parties, CUF and ACT-Wazalendo, both entered coalition governance with the ruling party in 2020, pursuing greater autonomy rather than independence, while the distinct Uamsho movement continues to advocate full independence.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: The Civic United Front (CUF), a liberal autonomist party with its strongest support in Zanzibar's Unguja and Pemba islands, has sought greater autonomy for Zanzibar within Tanzania rather than independence, and formed a coalition government with the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in 2020 following disputed elections; the Alliance for Change and Transparency-Wazalendo (ACT-Wazalendo), currently the main Zanzibari opposition party, also joined a coalition with the CCM in December 2020. By contrast, Uamsho, an Islamist movement led by Farid Hadi Ahmed, explicitly seeks full independence for Zanzibar, and has reportedly gained support among former CUF supporters disenchanted with that party's 2020 coalition decision.
- Zanzibar independence movement (Wikipedia) link, CUF, ACT-Wazalendo and Uamsho sections. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/zanzibar-political-status/status · last substantive update 24 September 2026.