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In Kenya, the Mau Mau rebels, who rose up against British rule between 1952 and 1960, faced a brutal crackdown that killed thousands of them. Barred from the history books for decades, these heroes of independence are now fighting to be recognized before the last survivors die. Our correspondents report.
Sixty years ago, on December 12, 1963, Kenya gained independence after 68 years of British rule and a decade of deadly violence. Between 1952 and 1960, the Mau Mau rebellion was one of the bloodiest episodes in the country's history.
This rebel group, made up mainly of members of the Kikuyu ethnic group, organized a campaign of sabotage and murder against the British settlers, claiming 32 lives. The rebels' goal was to reclaim the land and freedom that had been stolen from them by the British colonial authorities.
In response, a state of emergency was imposed, during which the British Army and the Home Guards (soldiers recruited from the local population) were responsible for suppressing the movement. Officially at least 11,000 Mau Mau were killed, but the Kenya Human Rights Commission estimates this figure at around 90,000 dead.
When independence was declared in 1963, Mau Mau leaders were denied access to positions of power. They were seen as part of a brief chapter in the country's history. The most influential politicians monopolized the most fertile lands, even though many of the Mau Mau fighters were the original owners. To avoid complaints and lawsuits, the ban on movement was maintained, although the British no longer controlled the territory. The result was forty years of oblivion, which suited local officials and former settlers.
However, in 2003, President Mwai Kibaki ordered that the Mau Mau would no longer be considered “terrorists.” Little by little its status has evolved. Today, six decades after Kenya's independence, they are considered heroes.
Its history, long kept secret, remains largely unknown. Most of the archives from the time have disappeared. Now that their numbers are dwindling, survivors and their descendants are fighting to ensure the movement finally gets the recognition they believe it deserves.
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