| Mozambique Defence Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique (Portuguese) | |
 Flag of the Armed Forces | |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Current form | August 1994 |
| Service branches |  Mozambican Army Mozambique Naval Command Mozambique Air ForceMozambique Militia |
| Headquarters | Ministry of National Defence, Avenida Martires de Mueda,Maputo[1] |
| Website | mdn |
| Leadership | |
| President | Daniel Chapo |
| Prime Minister | Maria Benvinda Levy |
| National Defence Minister | Cristovão Chume[2] |
| Chief of General Staff | Joaquim Mangrasse |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Active personnel | ~11,200[3] |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $245 million (2020 est.) |
| Percent of GDP | 2.5% (2008 est.) |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | |
| Related articles | |
| History | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Mozambique |
TheMozambique Defence Armed Forces (Portuguese:Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique,FADM) are the nationalarmed forces ofMozambique. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces and three branches of service: Army, Air Force and Navy.
The FADM were formed in mid August 1994, by the integration of the Forças Armadas de Moçambique/FPLM with the military wing ofRENAMO, following the end of the civil war.
Coelho et al write:"Independence in June 1975 was preceded by a nine-month transition period in whichFrelimo took control of a transitional cabinet where ..it held six of the nine ministries."[4] The previous Forças Populares de Libertação de Moçambique (FPLM), the armed wing of FRELIMO, became the Forças Armadas de Moçambique but retained the FPLM title, becoming "FAM/FPLM". From 1975 to the successful conclusions of the Rome negotiations in 1992, former liberation war leaderAlberto Joaquim Chipande served as Minister of National Defence.[5] The same year, Sebastião Mabote was appointed as chief of the armed forces.
Under the previous FAM, in 1982, ten provincial semi-autonomous military commands were created; the provincial commanders also acted as second in commands of the provincial government. Coelho et al write:[6]
"the 1st Brigade and the 6th Tank Brigade were located in Maputo; the 2nd Brigade was in Mapai and, together with 8th Brigade based in Chokwe, assured protection of the south; the 3rd Brigade was in Chimoio and the 5th in Beira; the 4th Brigade was placed in Tete, and the 7th in Cuamba, assuring a military presence in Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Zambezia and Nampula, and particularly in the Nacala corridor.."
Throughout the 1980s the FRELIMO government and its armed forces, the Forças Armadas de Moçambique/FPLM, fought the rebelMozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), which received support by South Africa.
In June 1987, there was a senior military reshuffle.[7][8] Colonel-General Sebastião Mabote, Chief of the General Staff, was replaced by previous Chief of the Air Force Lieutenant-General AntonioHama Thai, who was also appointed Deputy Minister of Defence. Thai had distinguished himself in an offensive against Renamo in Zambézia. Major-General Tobías Dai was given a deputy position to Thai in the new position of Commander of the Armed Forces, while Manuel Gimo Caetano was promoted to Commander of the Navy; Major-General Domingos Dondo became Commander of the Frontier Guards; and Colonel João Bernado Honwana became Commander of the air force.
TheMozambican Civil War only ended in 1992. Robinson writes by early 1993 that:[9]
In the meantime the break-down of discipline within the Mozambican armed forces was escalating, driven by desperation and sheer desire to end the war, to the extent that government soldiers were looting warehouses, hijacking food convoys and ambushing traffic throughout the country. In March members of the Presidential Guard even occupied their barracks and took their commander hostage.
The Mozambique Defence Armed Forces were formed in mid-August 1994 after peace negotiations in Rome had produced the General Peace Agreement (GPA, AGP in Portuguese). The new armed forces were formed by integrating those soldiers of the former government Forças Armadas de Moçambique/FPLM and those among the RENAMO rebels who wished to stay in uniform.[10] They were formed through a commission, theComissão Conjunta para a Formação das Forças Armadas de Defesa e Segurança de Moçambique (CCFADM), chaired by theUnited Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ).[11]
Two generals were appointed to lead the new forces, one fromFRELIMO, Lieutenant General Lagos Lidimo, who was named Chief of the Defence Force and Major General Mateus Ngonhamo from RENAMO as Vice-Chief of the Defence Force. The former Chief of the Army of theForças Armadas de Moçambique, Lieutenant General AntonioHama Thai, was retired.[citation needed]
The first three infantry battalions were stationed atChokwe,Cuamba, andQuelimane.[12]
On 20 March 2008,Reuters reported that President Guebuza had dismissed the Chief and Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General Lagos Lidimo (FRELIMO) and Lieutenant General Mateus Ngonhamo (RENAMO), replacing them with Brigadier General Paulino Macaringue as Chief of Defence Force and Major General Olímpio Cambora as Vice-Chief of Defence Force.[13]
Filipe Nyussi took office as Minister of Defense on 27 March 2008, succeedingTobias Joaquim Dai.[14] Nyussi's appointment came almost exactly one year after a fire and resulting explosions of munitions at the Malhazinearmoury inMaputo killed more than 100 people and destroyed 14,000 homes. A government-appointed investigative commission concluded thatnegligence played a role in the disaster, and Dai "was blamed by many for failing to act on time to prevent the loss of life".[15] Although no official reason was given for Dai's removal, it may have been a "delayed reaction" to the Malhazine disaster.[16]
In April 2010 it was announced that "thePeople's Republic of China donated to the FADM material for agriculture worth 4 million euros, including trucks, tractors, agricultural implements, mowers and motorbikes in the framework of bilateral cooperation in the military. Under a protocol of cooperation in the military field, the Government of China will also provide support to the Ministry of Defence of Mozambique with about 1 million euros for the areas of training and logistics. The protocol for granting aid to the Armed Forces for the Defence of Mozambique (FADM) was signed by Defense Minister of Mozambique,Filipe Nyusi, and the charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Maputo, Lee Tongli."[17]
Mozambique has also been involved in many peacekeeping operations inBurundi (232 personnel),[18]Comoros,Democratic Republic of the Congo,East Timor and Sudan. They have also actively participated in joint military operations such Blue Hungwe inZimbabwe in 1997 and Blue Crane in South Africa in 1999.[19]
The Mozambican Army was formed in 1976 from three conventional battalions, two of which were trained inTanzania and a third of which was trained inZambia.[20] Army officer candidates were initially trained in Maputo by Chinese military instructors.[20] In March 1977, following Mozambique's Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the Soviet Union, officer candidates became eligible for training in variousWarsaw Pact member states.[20] The Soviet military mission in Mozambique assisted in raising a new army composed of five infantry brigades and an armored brigade.[20] At the height of the civil war, this was gradually increased to eight infantry brigades, an armored brigade, and a counter-insurgency brigade[20] modeled after theZimbabwean 5th Brigade.[21]
The preexisting FAM was abolished after the end of the civil war under the auspices of the Joint Commission for the Formation of the Mozambican Defence Force (CCFADM), which included advisers from Portugal, France, and the United Kingdom.[20] The CCFADM recommended that former army personnel and an equal number of demobilised RENAMO insurgents be integrated into a single force numbering about 30,000.[22] Due to logistics problems and budgetary constraints, however, the army only numbered about 12,195 in 1995.[20] Force levels rarely fluctuated between 1995 and the mid-2000s due to the army's limited resources and low budget priority.[20]
In 2016, the Mozambican Army consisted of 10,000 troops organised into three special forces battalions, seven light infantry battalions, two engineer battalions, two artillery battalions, and a single logistics battalion.[23]
As of 2017, the serving chief of the army was Major GeneralEugènio Dias Da Silva.[24]
Between 1977 and 1989, the Mozambican Army was lavishly supplied with Soviet weapons, as well as a Soviet-supervised technical programme to oversee their logistics needs and maintenance.[25] Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, along with the resulting departure of Soviet technical staff, much of this equipment was rendered inoperable.[25] The bulk of the army's hardware remained vested in this ageing and increasingly obsolescent Soviet equipment throughout the 2000s, and serviceability rates have remained low.[23] In 2016, less than 10% of the army's artillery and armoured vehicles were operational.[23]
| Name | Image | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-10[27] |  | Recoilless rifle |  Soviet Union | 82mm | |
| 9M14 Malyutka[27] |  | Anti-tank weapon | Soviet Union | ||
| 9K111 Fagot[27] | _01.jpg) | Anti-tank weapon | Soviet Union | 10 in service. |
| Name | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM-43 |  | Mortar | Soviet Union | 12[30] | ||
| BM-37 |  | Mortar | Soviet Union | 40[30] |
| Name | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-54 | .jpg) | Medium tank | Soviet Union | 60[31] |
| Name | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRDM-2 | _owned_by_James_Stewart_pic7.JPG) | Amphibiousarmored scout car |  Soviet Union | 28[29] | ||
| BRDM-1 | ._BRDM-1_DSC01298_2200.jpg) | Amphibiousarmored scout car | Soviet Union | 28[29] |
| Name | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMP-1 |  | Infantry fighting vehicle | Soviet Union | 40[23][29] |
| Name | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZU-23-2 |  | Autocannon | Soviet Union | 120[29][23] | ||
| 61-K |  | Autocannon | Soviet Union | 90[23] | 10 in storage. | |
| ZSU-57-2 | .JPG) | SPAAG | Soviet Union | 20[29][23] | ||
| S-125 Neva[34] |  | Surface-to-air missile | Soviet Union | 103[31] | ||
| 9K32 Strela-2 |  | MANPADS | Soviet Union | 20[29] | 250 in storage.[35] |
There are about 200 personnel in the navy.[36] In September 2004 it was reported that theSouth African Navy was to donate two of itsNamacurra class harbour patrol boat to the Mozambique Navy. The boats were refitted by the naval dockyard atSimon's Town and equipped with outboard motors and navigation equipment donated by theFrench Navy. The French NavyDurance class command and replenishment oilerMarne (A360) was to deliver the boats toMaputo en route to itsALINDIEN operational area in theIndian Ocean after a refit inCape Town.[37]
In 2013, the French shipyardCMN Group confirmed a major order by Mozambique, including 6 patrol vessels & interceptors (HSI32).[38]
On 29 July 2019 in the first ever visit by anDefence Minister of IndiaRajnath Singh donated 2L&T class Fast interceptor boats to the Navy.[39] A team fromIndian Coast Guard will also be stationed to train the crew, support for maintenance and operation of the two boats.[40]
In January 2022, twoSolas Marine fast interceptor boat were transferred from Indian Navy to Mozambique on boardINS Kesari (L15). Mozambique Navy personnel were given training to operate the new interceptor boats.[41] On 8 November 2024, the Indian Navy gifted another two Fast Interceptor Crafts of the same class to Mozambique. They were delivered viaINS Gharial (L23). The Fast Interceptor Craft are capable of reaching speeds of 45 kn (83 km/h; 52 mph) and equipped withmachine guns and bullet-resistant cabins. They will enhance Mozambique's capability to address maritime threats.[42][43]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2003 ed.).CIA.