Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1974 Voters in Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli chose independence from France in a referendum, leading to the founding of the Comoros.
Sources: Afrique XXI ; The New York Times
Independence
Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
On this day: December 22 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1974 Zimbabwe's ZANU and ZAPU parties signed a Unity Accord ending the Gukurahundi violence in the Matabeleland region, a date now marked as Unity Day.
Sources: University of Pretoria institutional repository (Ruth Murambadoro) ; Conflict Studies Quarterly (Terence M. Mashingaidze) ; ZANU PF (official party website)
Politics
CBA TV, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1997 Somali warlord Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquished his claim to the presidency of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, a step toward national reconciliation.
Sources: BBC News ; United Nations Security Council
PoliticsSt. Elmo Brady, the first African American to earn a PhD in chemistry, was born.
Sources: University of Illinois Department of Chemistry ; Science History Institute
Science
Ralf Manteufel, GFDL 1.2, Wikimedia Commons (aircraft of the same type involved) 1973 A Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crashed near Tangier, Morocco, killing 106 people.
Sources: Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives ; PlaneCrashInfo.com
Tragedy