Draft:Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia
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The Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia (CMFR) know as Operation Agila was a British lead commonwealth peacekeeping force between January 1st 1979 to the 31st of December 1980, aimed at ensuring the peaceful implementation of the Lancaster House Agreement and the 1979 Rhodesian general election.[1]
Background
[edit]As a result of the Rhodesian Bush War, 1978 Internal Settlement and international pressure the Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia was established by the Commonwealth to supervise the implementation of the Lancaster House Agreement between the government of Southern Rhodesia and the guerrilla forces of the Patriotic Front. As a result of the Lancaster house agreement the United Kingdom was given temporary authority over the state of Rhodesia, temporarily changing the name to Southern Rhodesia in order to facility a free election. The CMFR was comprised of 1500 ground personal of which 1200 were British, 152 Australians, 76 New Zelanders as part of Operation Midford, 46 Kenyans and 24 Fijians.[2]
Military Operations
[edit]Under Major general Sir John Acland of the British Army[3] a 9 man advanced logistics party was deployed to Rhodesia on December 8 1979, followed by the bulk CMFR on December 12. On the 20th of December members of the New Zealand Army flew into Salisbury from RNZAF Whenuapai. Members of the CMFR were accommodated in a tent camp with the exception of Fijian, Kenyan and New Zealand forces who were based at Morgan High School.[4] CMFR forces were tasked with monitoring the activities of Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army, Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army and Rhodesian Security Forces in order to enforce the military ceasefire. On the 2nd of March 1980, all CMFR personal were pulled back to Salisbury before being return to their home nations. By the 16th of March 1980 only a 40 man volunteer force of British infantry instructors remained to train the newly formed Zimbabwe National Army.[5]
During the course of Operation Agila CMFR personal engaged in minor skirmishes including when a RAF Hercules aircraft was hit by small arms fire. In 1979 a Royal Air Force Puma helicopter crashed resulting in the death of the 3 man crew.
Impact
[edit]The CMFR successfully enforced ceasefire and facilitated the 1979 Rhodesian general election with Robert Mugabe being declared the first president of the newly formed Zimbabwe as well as the dissolution of Southern Rhodesia. On 18 April 1980 the Union Jack was lowered for the last time from Government House in Salisbury, and the new African nation of Zimbabwe declared itself independent as a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Members of CMFR were awarded with the Rhodesia Medal as part of a joint commonwealth honors program.
References
[edit]- ^ "Commonwealth Monitoring Force Rhodesia (CMFR) 1979 - 1980". Australian War Memorial.
- ^ "Australian peacekeepers in Southern Rhodesia with CMF 1979 to 1980". Department of Veterans' Affairs - Anzac Portal.
- ^ "OPERATION AGILA: THE COMMONWEALTH MONITORING FORCE IN RHODESIA 1979 - 1980". Imperial War Museum.
- ^ "MAMS Operations - Operation Agila". ukmamsoba.
- ^ Mackinlay, John. "Humanitarian Emergencies and Military Help in Africa". The Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Zimbabwe/Rhodesia, 1979–80: 38–60. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-11582-2_3.