Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland to 31 December 1963. This flag flew alongside the Union Jack for the duration of the existence of the Federation. Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was a modified British Blue Ensign. Centred in the fly of the flag was a depiction of the shield from the Federation's Coat of Arms. The rising sun is taken from the Arms of Nyasaland (now Malawi), the lion rampant is taken from the Arms of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and the black and white wavy lines is taken from the Arms of
Nyasaland Emergency 1959 Later research has established the degree of interference by the Federal and Southern Rhodesian governments in the declaration of the Nyasaland Emergency. Although it was claimed at the time that the Southern Rhodesian Premier, Whitehead, had proclaimed a State of Emergency there to free up troops to send to Nyasaland in response to the concerns Armitage had expressed in mid-February, it is now clear that Whitehead had been planning to suppress the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC) since December 1958, despite little or no evidence that it was acting unlawfully, and that he had Welensky's approval for this action.