Zimbabwe Defence Forces

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Zimbabwe Defence forces
Mauto eZimbabwe
Flag of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces
Founded18 May 1980; 43 years ago (1980-05-18)
Service branches Zimbabwe National Army
 Air Force of Zimbabwe
HeadquartersHarare
Leadership
PresidentEmmerson Mnangagwa
Minister of DefenceOppah Muchinguri
Chief of DefensePhilip Valerio Sibanda
Personnel
ConscriptionN/A
Available for
military service		5,500,000, age 15–49 (2017)
Fit for
military service		3,175,000, age 15–49 (2017)
Reaching military
age annually		310,000 (2017)
Active personnel29,000 active[1]
21,800 paramilitary[1] (ranked 83rd)
Expenditure
Budget$1.7 billion (2022)[2]
Percent of GDP2.16% (2018)[2]
Industry
Foreign suppliers Russia
 China[3]
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Zimbabwe
RanksMilitary ranks 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]

Main article: Military history of Zimbabwe

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 occurred between the FRELIMO Government and RENAMO. The rebel group was funded by Rhodesian intelligence in the 1970s and later the apartheid South African government to destabilize Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces got involved 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. This was also seen as assistance to the FRELIMO government which had assisted Zimbabwe rebel fighters based in Mozambique during Rhodesian Bush War. Some RENAMO elements had crossed from Mozambique into Zimbabwe several times, robbing shops along the border and had burned down a timber factory. After several meetings with Mozambican officials it was agreed that the ZDF could conduct "hot pursuits" into Mozambique of any RENAMO elements that may have raided Zimbabwe. On this pretext the ZDF begun planning follow-up operations which would take them deep into Mozambique culminating in occupation of former RENAMO bases at Gorongosa. The decision to send Zimbabwean troops to fight RENAMO was partly influenced by Zimbabwe's close relationship with the Mozambican government which dates back to FRELIMO's assistance for ZANU in its fight against Rhodesia. There was also the underlying fact that FRELIMO and ZANU shared a common Marxist ideology of scientific socialism. The South Africa-backed RENAMO professed to be an anti-communist movement, as did Jonas Savimbi's UNITA movement, which was fighting against the Marxist MPLA government of Angola. There was thus an ideological alliance of the Maputo - Harare - Luanda axis, with support for these governments from the Soviet Union.

Operation Restore Legacy[edit]

Main article: 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état

In October 2017, the ZDF was involved in a coup d'état which resulted in the resignation of long-serving President Robert Mugabe and the formation of a new government under Emmerson Mnangagwa.[6]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b IISS 2019, p. 500.
  2. ^ a b IISS 2019, p. 499.
  3. ^ "As the U.S. Disengages, Russia Ramps up Aid and Arms Sales to Sub-Saharan Africa".
  4. ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (2007). The Military Balance 2007. Abingdon: Routledge Journals. ISBN 978-1-85743-437-8. Page 299.
  5. ^ "UK urged to keep force in Zimbabwe". The Independent. London. 16 April 2000. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07.
  6. ^ Cropley, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Joe Brock, Ed (2017-11-27). "Special Report: 'Treacherous shenanigans' - The inside story of Mugabe's downfall". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-05-30.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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]

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