The Malawian Defence Force is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from elements of the British

King's African Rifles The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from Britain's various possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions withi ...

, colonial units formed before independence in 1964. The military is organized under the purview of the Ministry of Defence.

Malawi Army

Before independence, Malawi depended for its military supplies on the barracks in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to th ...

, as British colonial military logistics was usually organized on a continental basis, rather than at the level of individual colonies. The Malawi Rifles were formed when the country gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. Its first battalion was formed from the 1st Battalion,

. On independence the battalion became 1st Battalion, The Malawi Rifles (King's African Rifles). They were based at what became the headquarters of the Malawi Army at

Cobbe Barracks Cobbe is an Irish surname, and may refer to: *Cobbe family, a prominent Irish family * Alexander Cobbe, Irish General and holder of VC *Frances Power Cobbe, Irish writer and animal rights activist *Charles Cobbe, Archbishop of Dublin *John Cobbe, ...

, Zomba. Cobbe Barracks had been named in May 1958 for British General

Alexander Cobbe General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe (6 June 1870 – 29 June 1931) was a senior British Indian Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commo ...

VC, who had served with the King's African Rifles. The Rifles were reportedly at a strength of 2,000 men at independence. On 6 July 1966 Malawi became a republic and

Kamuzu Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the prime minister and later president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm). In 1966, the country became a republic a ...

became the first president. After the swearing in ceremony his first duty was to present the battalion with his own presidential colour and the new regimental colour. It was under the leadership of Brigadier Paul Lewis, a British expatriate; Welsh Colonel Dudley Thornton commanded 1965-67. In 1966 it appears that perhaps 60% of the officers in the battalion were former

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s. After the

Cabinet Crisis of 1964 The cabinet crisis of 1964 in Malawi occurred in August and September 1964 shortly after independence when, after an unresolved confrontation between the Prime Minister, Hastings Banda (later Malawi's first President) and the cabinet ministers pr ...

, the Malawi Army destroyed

Henry Chipembere Henry Masauko Blasius Chipembere (5 August 1930 – 24 September 1975) was a Malawian nationalist politician who played a significant role in bringing independence from colonial rule to his native country, formerly known as Nyasaland. From an e ...

's insurrection in Mangochi District and Machinga District in 1965. Another of the ministers ousted during the Cabinet Crisis was Yatuta Chisiza. Chisiza fled to Tanzania, and founded the Socialist League of Malawi, the most radical Malawian opposition party. He also began to conduct guerilla operations against the Banda regime. In 1967 Chisiza and nine others entered Mwanza District from Tanzania. In the following clash with the Army and Young Pioneers on 9 October 1967 he and two other members of insurgent forces were killed; five were captured; and the others fled. In 1970 the International Institute for Strategic Studies listed the Army as comprising one infantry battalion MR at Zombaand supporting services, having a strength of 1,150. Malawi was allied with Portugal during the

Mozambican War of Independence The Mozambican War of Independence ( pt, Guerra da Independência de Moçambique, 'War of Independence of Mozambique') was an armed conflict between the guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front or FRELIMO () and Portugal. The ...

(1964–74), and the Malawi Army consequently cooperated with the

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With it ...

to secure the Mozambican-Malawian border and arrest

FRELIMO FRELIMO (; from the Portuguese , ) is a democratic socialist political party in Mozambique. It is the dominant party in Mozambique and has won a majority of the seats in the Assembly of the Republic in every election since the country's firs ...

rebels. Following FRELIMO's victory and the independence of Mozambique, several Portuguese colonial secret police agents as well as FRELIMO deserters joined the Malawian Army. Gurkha officer John "Johnny" Clements was advanced to Acting Brigadier in May 1971, and commanded the Malawi Army until September 1972. Thereupon the Army's first black commander, Brigadier Graciano Matewere was appointed. Hastings Banda promoted Matewere instantly to Major General after the resolution of the South African Airways hijacking in Blantyre in 1972. Matewere was retired by Banda in 1980 and died in 2001. Declassified Defense Intelligence Agency reporting from 1985 states that "there is also a military college Salima that is probably one of the finest, most efficiently organized, and operated military training schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. [It] conducts recruit training, numerous enlisted courses, officer cadet courses, [a] platoon leader course, company commanders course (''sic''), communications courses, NCO courses, a catering course, and will add a staff officers course in the future." The same source listed the Army Commander as General Melvin Khanga, with the deputy commander, Lieutenant General Issac Yohane, and the Director of Training Major General Wilfred Mponela.

Transition to democracy

In 1992-93, the army played a vital role in dismantling the dictatorship of

. After the 8 March 1992 pastoral letter:

''There were public demonstrations in support of the bishops - notably at the University in Blantyre and Zomba, where soldiers indicated their support for the students and deterred violent police action against the protesters. This was the first sign of the army's future political role. In May 1992 student protesters were joined by striking workers in Blantyre. In two days of riots dozens of protesters were killed by armed police and Young Pioneers.''

In December 1992:

''..the army intervened to disarm the MYP forcibly. A bar-room argument in ..
Mzuzu Mzuzu is the capital of Malawi's Northern Region and is the third largest city by population in Malawi. The city has 221,272 residents and 20,000 commuters (Mzuzu University students) with about 1.7 million people in its metropolitan area. It i ...
ended with Young Pioneers shooting two soldiers dead. The middle-ranking and junior officers effectively mutinied against the army commander, General Isaac Yohane, attacking the Ministry of Youth and other MYP installations in Lilongwe, as well as looting the MCP headquarters. The army then moved into MYP bases throughout the country.''

The operation was called "Bwezani" which means "taking back" or "returning". This event was vital in the history of the Malawi Army. State Department International Military Education and Training documentation from Fiscal Year 2003 indicates the United States trained army personnel from the 2nd Battalion, Malawi Rifles, probably at Kamuzu Barracks, Lilongwe, 3rd Battalion, Malawi Rifles ( Moyale Barracks, Mzuzu), the Parachute Battalion, and the Combat Support Battalion ( Mvera). In July 2004 General Joseph Chimbayo was succeeded by Marko Chiziko. In 2011 General Chiziko was succeeded by Henry Odillo as MDF Commander. On 5 April 2012 when President

Bingu wa Mutharika Bingu wa Mutharika (; born Brightson Webster Ryson Thom; 24 February 1934 – 5 April 2012) was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Demo ...

died, there were rumours of an attempted constitutional coup intended to prevent vice-president Joyce Banda from becoming president as outlined by the constitution. The military, under General Henry Odillo, stepped in and vowed to support and uphold the constitution of Malawi. They reportedly stationed security members at Banda's residence during the news of Mutharika's death. This level of professionalism had a direct impact on the smooth transition of power. Malawi has signed the initial agreements joining the SADC Standby Brigade, the southern African component of the

African Standby Force The African Standby Force (ASF) ( French: ''Force africaine en attente'') is an international, continental African, and multidisciplinary peacekeeping force with military, police and civilian contingents that acts under the direction of the Africa ...

FV721 Fox armoured reconnaissance vehicle, MDF Museum, Zomba

The

Force Intervention Brigade The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations ...

of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through Resolution 2098. Its first 2,550 troops were drawn almost equally from Malawi, the Tanzania People's Defence Force, and the

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Ministe ...

. After Peter Mutharika became President in 2014, he replaced the Defence Force commander four times in six years. On August 4, 2014, General Henry Odillo handed over to General Ignaious Maulana, the former Chief of Military Operations. In July–August 2016, General Maulana was replaced by his former deputy Griffin Supuni-Phiri. Another change occurred in 210

In March 2020, General Vincent Nundwe, who had won praise for the army's handling of six months of protests over Mutharika's election victory, was dismissed and replaced by Major General Andrew Lapken Namathanga, the former Air Force commander. Six months later, the new President, Lazarus Chakwera, reinstated Nundwe. On 14 November 2018, during FIB Rotation VI, an officer, sergeant, corporal, and three soldiers of the MDF were killed in action in the Congo.

Armoured fighting vehicles

Artillery

Air Force

The Malawi Air Force was established with German help in 1976 with the delivery of six single-engined Dornier Do 27s and eight Do 28 light twins in 1976-1980. Also in the same era the air force received an

Alouette III Alouette or alouettes may refer to: Music and literature * "Alouette" (song), a French-language children's song * Alouette, a character in ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'' Aerospace * SNCASE Alouette, a utility helicopter developed in France i ...

, an AS 350 and an AS 355 Ecureuil, as well as three SA 330 H/L Puma Helicopters from France. A single BAe 125-800 was delivered in 1986. Four Dornier 228 light twin turbo props were acquired between 1986 and 1989 in part to allow disposal of the older Dornier products. In 1990 two

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

with PT6A turboprops were delivered from the US.

Current aircraft

Retired aircraft

Previous aircraft that have been placed in storage or removed from service include the Basler BT-67, the Dornier Do27-A, the

British Aerospace 125 The British Aerospace 125 is a twinjet mid-size business jet. Originally developed by de Havilland and initially designated as the DH.125 Jet Dragon, it entered production as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125, which was the designation used until 19 ...

, the King Air 90, AS365 Dauphin, and the

Navy

As a landlocked country, Malawi has a very small Navy with no sizeable military craft. Malawi's naval force only operates on Lake Malawi and is based at

Monkey Bay Main north-south street of the town. Monkey Bay or Lusumbwe is a town in Mangochi which is in the Mangochi District in the Southern Region of Malawi. The town is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. The popu ...

. The Malawi Navy was organized in the early 1970s, with the help of the Navy of Portugal that ceded part of its boats of the Nyassa Flotilla operating from the then Portuguese province of Mozambique. In some cases, the gunboats of the Malawian Navy were initially crewed by Portuguese. In 2007, the navy had 220 personnel, and operated the following vessels: *Patrol boats **1

Namacurra-class harbour patrol boat The Namacurra-class patrol boats are a series of small harbour patrol boats currently in service with South Africa, Namibia, Malawi and Mozambique. Background and description The Namacurra class (also spelled "Namicurra") is a series of small ha ...

(P 704 ''Kaning'a'', formerly Y 1520), transferred from South Africa in 1988 **1 Antares-class patrol boat (P 703 ''Kasungu'', formerly ''Chikala''), out of service since 1993 *Service craft **1 unknown-type

Landing Craft Mechanized The landing craft mechanized (LCM) is a landing craft designed for carrying vehicles. They came to prominence during the Second World War when they were used to land troops or tanks during Allied amphibious assaults. Variants There was ...

(P 702 ''Chikoko I''), date of entry into service unknown **12 Buccaneer Inflatables ''Buccaneer Legend''-type rigid-hulled inflatable launches, in service since 1993

Notes

References

* (date was 1 May 1994; accessed April 2021) * * ''World Aircraft Information Files.'' Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 02 * ''World Aircraft Information Files.'' Brightstar Publishing, London. File 340 Sheet 05

External links

Official website of the Ministry of Defence of Malawi
{{Military of Africa Military of Malawi,