On this day 129 years ago, on August 27, 1896 (July 19, 1896 lunar calendar), the Royal Palace of Zanzibar was shelled by British troops. On August 27, 1896, the Royal Palace of Zanzibar was shelled by British troops, forcing the abdication of its sultan, Bagash, and the Anglo-Zanzibar War broke out. The Anglo-Zanzibar War was a war between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar that took place on August 27, 1896. Since the war lasted only 45 minutes in total, it holds the record for the shortest war in history. Long before the war broke out, Germany and Britain had a dispute over control of this small island off the east coast of Africa. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, the Sultan of Zanzibar, Hamad bin Duwini, gradually became a puppet under British control, which in turn gained control of the island. On August 25, 1890, the Sultan of Hamad bin Duwini died. His second son, Khalid bin Bagash, became his own Sultan with the help of the Germans. The British supported another candidate, Hamoud bin Muhammad, and demanded that Bagash step down or face the consequences. Bagash rightly refused the British demands, and also organized an army of 2,800 men, including an outdated but still serving warship, the Glasgow, which was anchored in port. When Bagash organized manpower to strengthen the defense of the palace, the British Royal Navy organized several warships to besiege the island, and also sent a number of marines to land on the island, and issued an ultimatum to Bagash. Although Bagash was still trying to negotiate with the British in exchange for peace through the US representative on the island until the last minute, the US refused to help. When the time stipulated in the ultimatum passed at 9:00 am on August 27, the British began shelling Zanzibar. Due to the disparity in strength, it was difficult for the Zanzibar army to respond forcefully. At 9:45, the Sultan of Bagash surrendered, and the entire war ended in just 45 minutes. After the war, Bagash took refuge in the German consulate and was granted asylum, escaping by sea on October 2. Since then, he has lived in exile in Dar es Salaam. He was arrested in 1916 and moved to Mombasa, Kenya, where Bagash died nine years later. Comment: Such a weak country has no say at all