Throughout the 20th century, many African countries were on the brink of a civil war, with no proper military force, many countries had to go through a process of rebuild and reform, resulting in the establishment of a newly formed and strong military to defend its people. The following list presents 10 African countries and their rich history, alongside their military power – measured spending and personnel, and how they compare to other countries in Africa or the world in total.
Kenya
With about 24,000 active personnel, the Kenya Defence Forces reach a budget of about $595 million. Kenya military is known for peacekeeping missions around the world, while also being infamously tainted by corruption allegations, including various cases of human rights violation in their counter-insurgency operations.Ever since the 21st century, the Kenya Defence Forces are under the supervision of the countries Parliament, and can no longer deploy in combat missions without permission.
Nigeria
The Nigerian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the strongest military forces in Africa, with 162,000 and a budget of $2.33 billion. Ever since the Nigerian Civil War has been concluded in the early 1970s, the Nigerian military has been expanding considerably.They are currently considered as the 5th strongest military in Africa and spends a large portion of its budget on aircraft, naval vessels, and other land armored vehicles.
Ghana
Ghana’s military was formed in 1959 after all of the British officers were ordered to withdraw. The Ghana Army has a total spending of $120 million, with active military personnel of approximately 15,500.Despite their somewhat small size, the Ghanaian soldiers were acknowledged through the region and were given high praise in several instances of peacemaking missions and conflicts across Africa
Zambia
The ZDF, or Zambian Defence Forces, has played a big role in a number of conflicts back in the 1970s and 1980s in its region. Despite not having a navy due to the country being landlocked, The ZDF is still a strong military force nonetheless, with $245 million worth of spending.
After the conclusion of the Cold War in Zambia, The ZDF has gone though many reforms, and as of today the ZDF has an active personal of 15,100.
Uganda
Formerly known as the National Resistance Army, The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) is another one of Africa’s leading military forces despite being initially crippled by ethnic divisions and low salaries. The UPDF’s total active personnel of about 46,800 as of today.
In terms of budget, however, the country’s defense spending is $280 million which roughly places them in the top 100 of the world’s highest budget defense forces.
Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) isn’t considered one of Africa’s bigger defense forces due to its relatively low budget, with a total spending of $95 million. Yet, it would be better not to underestimate the Zimbabwean army, with 35,000 active personal and 22,000 reserve personnel, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces is truly a force to be reckoned with.The Zimbabwe National Army is the largest and primary branch of the ZDF, it is responsible for all land operations and consists 30,000 of the military’s active personal.
0 comments:
Post a Comment