SUPPORT for a Yes vote in the Independence referendum is growing among Scotland's African community, according to a new group set up by immigrants to Scotland.

Africans for an Independent Scotland is the latest grass-roots group to campaign to break away from the UK.

The latest census shows that there are 36,000 Africans living in Scotland, mostly in Glasgow, Dundee and in Aberdeen where many students are based after being attracted by the booming oil industry.

And the group says that there is a strong support for independence among the community engendered by their countries' struggles against colonial rule.

Group convener Graham Campbell said: "We have around 100 people altogether in the group and more than 800 likes on Facebook already.

"What we found is that there are a lot of Africans in Scotland who did not know they are allowed to vote, but we worked out that most of them will be able to. Many are not registered so we are working to getting them to do that as our first goal."

Campbell added: "Many of the African diaspora lean towards supporting Yes Scotland because they all had their own independence movements at one time or another.

"There is also a lack of political representation for African people in Scotland. Yes Scotland have been very supportive of our group.

"The chief concerns among people would be the issue of status and what would happen to their British passport, but we have reassured them that nothing would change on that front and they would still be eligible to stay."

Africans for an Independent Scotland was formed in April and officially launched last week at an event attended by Yes campaign chief Blair Jenkins

Secretary Chiminezie Umeh, formerly from Nigeria, is passionate in his belief that an independent Scotland would go from strength to strength.

He said: "The right to be self-sufficient and self-reliant is a fundamental human right and I believe that exercising these rights has nothing to do with who your neighbours are.

"Scotland is a home to me now. I have lived here for seven years and my children were born here. I want this to be the future for my kids."