The resistance began in 1888 when Salem Abushiri mobilized coastal traders to rebel against  CMS. The rebellion later spread into the interior including the areas of Usambara, Ungin and Usagara and Uhehe. At Tanga, missionary and Germany stations were attacked and several Germans taken as prisoners of war.

The Germans were attacked, killed and the survivors were expelled from all the coastal areas except the areas of Dar-el- salaam and Bagamoyo.

The revolt was not centrally coordinated and organized. However most eminent of its leaders were Abushiri bin Salim an Arab settler near Pangani.

In uzinga the rebellion was led by Bwana Kheri of Usinua tribe.  Thus Arab Swahili rebellion was joined by the coastal Bantu and the Yao.

The Germans were nevertheless isolated. They also continued to have allies like King Mkubwa chief, who collaborated against the Abushiri and also Nyamwezi porters served the Germans.

The German company called for assistance from the CMS. The German imperial government sent troops under major Von Wissman who arrived in May 1889.

Within 2 months the Germans captured the Northern towns and the rebellion began to die out.  The Arabs advocated for peaceful resolution of the conflict. December 1889, Abushiri was captured and was hanged in Pangani by Germans.

The rebellion however was carried on by Bwana Kheri. In April 1890, Kheri was desperate and surrenders to the Germans and the southern towns also came under German East Africa.

 

Causes of the Abushiri Resistance   

The need to protect their independence from the Germans led to the war.

The German traders monopolized coastal trade and this forced Arabs to react.

The Germans abused and despised Arab cultures as inferior backward.

The German missionaries also condemned Arab customs like polygamy, names, worship etc.

German missionaries attempted to convert Muslim Arabs into Christianity, but Arabs saw German missionaries as pagans who needed to be fought.

German rulers along the coast were too harsh and rude. The Germans walloped or whipped, caned, frog jumped the local people and all these led to the rebellion.

The German settlers demanded for Arab houses for settlement. This led to war because Arabs were not willing to vacate their houses.

German East African company had grabbed a lot of land from the coastal people. And Governor  Vonsoden declared that all unregistered had belonged to the Germans. This forced the Arabs to declare war on the Germans.

High taxes and harsh ways of tax collection also led to war.  

The coastal Arabs and African generally hated the white men and this led to the war.

Availability of strong leaders like Bwana Heri and Abushiri encouraged the occurrence of war.        

The abolition of slave trade also led to war. This affected Arab slave traders who promptly opened war against the Germans.                                                                                    

Africans and Arabs hated forced labour. They had been forced to carry gold and ivory.

Arabs also feared German competition in ivory trade along the coast and it forced them to fight the Germans.      

The transfer of customs duty (taxes) to Germans, i.e. the transfer of tax collection and control to the Germans led to the outbreak of war.

 

Effects of the Abushiri Rebellion        

The war had very ugly consequences on the Arabs and Africans, which were both positive and negative.

It led to the hanging of the Abushiri in Pangani.                                         

There was a massive loss of life between the Arab and African fighters.

Germans forcefully grabbed more fertile land belonging to Arabs for plantation farming.      

Arabs were completely defeated and they lost their dependence.

Germans after defeating Arabs, monopolized trade along the coast.

Forced labour continued where many Arabs were forced to work in German plantations of coffee and

Taxation also continued as a way of raising revenue.                                    

Arabs learnt a lesson; they never fought another rebellion against the Germans.   

The war forced German missionaries to try to Christianise the coast but failed.   

The Arabs completely lost control of the customs duty after German traders had replaced them.

Kingo Mukubwa, a Uzigwa chief was made a colonial chief over the Usagara because he helped the  Germans to defeat Abushiri rebellion.

Conflicts developed between the Africans because some societies sided with Germans.

The German government took over the administration of Tanzania directly.

 

Reasons why the Abushiri rebellion was defeated by the Germans       

Arabs and African fighters lacked food supplies during the war.

Arabs used old-fashioned guns, which could not be compared with German guns.

Arabs were too few in number white the German soldiers were many.             

The interior tribes refused to ally with the coastal Arabs.                    

The German soldiers used modern weapons e.g. the maxim guns.                    

The German soldiers were well trained and had experience of modern war fare.   

Kingo Mukubwa of Uzigwa assisted the Germans to defeat Abushiri Arabs.        

The Germans used scorched earth policy in which they destroyed food crops, homes and people.

The war was fought in open areas that lacked physical barriers where African fighters could hide from and where the German advances would be hampered.

The Africans who fought the war were made lazy by their belief in magic ancestors, spirits and gods whom they expected to assist them - but this did noisome true.