Editing Zimbabwe Defence Forces (section)

== History ==
{{main|Military history of Zimbabwe}}

After a 15-year [[Rhodesian Bush War|guerrilla war]] with black nationalist forces, culminating in a [[Lancaster House Agreement|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 [[1980 Southern Rhodesian general election|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/uk-urged-to-keep-force-in-zimbabwe-719089.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/uk-urged-to-keep-force-in-zimbabwe-719089.html |archive-date=2022-05-07 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | location=London | work=The Independent | title=UK urged to keep force in Zimbabwe | date=16 April 2000}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Meanwhile the [[Rhodesian Air Force]] was reorganised as the [[Air Force of Zimbabwe]].

=== Mozambique Civil War ===
{{Main|Mozambique Civil War}}
The [[Mozambican Civil War|Mozambique Civil War]] was a long-running conflict between the Marxist [[FRELIMO]] Government, and anti-communist [[RENAMO]] insurgents. During the 1970's, [[Central Intelligence Organisation|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, Mozambique|Beira]] which were being attacked by RENAMO.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zimbabwe's Military Involvement in Mozambique1982 - 1992 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205234951/http://ccrweb.ccr.uct.ac.za/archive/defencedigest/defdigest03.html#1 |website=SACDI Defence Digest |access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>

===Operation Restore Legacy===
{{Main|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]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cropley|first=MacDonald Dzirutwe, Joe Brock, Ed|date=2017-11-27|title=Special Report: 'Treacherous shenanigans' - The inside story of Mugabe's downfall|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zimbabwe-politics-mugabe-specialrepor-idUSKBN1DQ0AG|access-date=2021-05-30}}</ref>