From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Combined military forces of Zimbabwe
The
Zimbabwe Defence Forces
(
ZDF
) are the
military forces
responsible for the defence of
Zimbabwe
against external threats from other countries, and also to suppress internal armed factions. It is composed of the
Zimbabwe National Army
(ZNA) and the
Air Force of Zimbabwe
(AFZ). (As a
landlocked country
Zimbabwe does not have a navy). Since December 2017 the ZDF is headed by General
Philip Valerio Sibanda
.
Ministry of Defence
[
edit
]
In July 1994 the combined
Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters
was created.
Manpower
[
edit
]
In 2007, the Zimbabwe National Army had an estimated strength of 29,000 and the Air Force of Zimbabwe had an estimated 4,000 men assigned.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
After a 15-year
guerrilla war
with black nationalist forces, culminating in a
peace agreement
in December 1979,
Robert Mugabe
became the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 April 1980 following his
ZANU?PF
party winning the
general election
. Mugabe declared that integrating
Zimbabwe
's three armed forces would be one of Zimbabwe's top priorities. The existing
Rhodesian Army
was combined with the two guerrilla armies; the 20,000-strong
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
(ZANLA) forces of ZANU?PF and the 15,000-strong
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army
(ZIPRA) forces of PF-
Zimbabwe African People's Union
. A British Military Assistance and Training Team played a pivotal role in assisting the creation of the new army, and was still in place in 2000.
[5]
Meanwhile the
Rhodesian Air Force
was reorganised as the
Air Force of Zimbabwe
.
Mozambique Civil War
[
edit
]
The
Mozambique Civil War
was a long-running conflict between the Marxist
FRELIMO
Government, and anti-communist
RENAMO
insurgents. During the 1970's,
Rhodesian intelligence
supported the rebel group, but in the years following the election of Robert Mugabe in 1980, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) switched to support the
FRELIMO
Government, in order to protect Zimbabwe's eastern city of
Mutare
and the strategic railway line to Mozambique's port city of
Beira
which were being attacked by RENAMO.
[6]
Operation Restore Legacy
[
edit
]
In October 2017, the ZDF was involved in a coup d'etat which resulted in the resignation of long-serving President
Robert Mugabe
and the formation of a new government under
Emmerson Mnangagwa
.
[7]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Abiodun Alao, 'The Metamorphosis of the Unorthodox: The Integration and Development of the Zimbabwe National Army' (chapter in book compiled by Terence Ranger, 'Soldiers in Zimbabwe's Liberation War'), 1995
- Norma J. Kriger, ‘Guerrilla Veterans in Post-war Zimbabwe: Symbolic and Violent Politics,’ 1980?1987, Cambridge UP, 2003
- Ministry of Defence - H/Q (2011).
"The Zimbabwe Defence Forces: Resolute in defence of national gains, peace and security"
.
Ministry of Defence
. Retrieved
27 May
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]