The Northern Rhodesia Army (NRA)

The Military Transformation The Northern Rhodesia Army (NRA) which is the ancestor of the Zambia Army was formally known as Northern Rhodesia Regiment until it relinquished the title after the amalgamation of Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland into what came to be known as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland or the Central African Federation on 1 August 1953. On amalgamation the military component of Northern Rhodesia or the Northern Rhodesia Regiment, though geographically located in Northern Rhodesia, became part of the Federal Army or the Rhodesia and Nyasaland Army which was one of the arms of the Federal Government. Current sly hints that the Northern Rhodesia Regiment is the fore-runner of the Zambia Army are

There were also Territorial battalions; the 6th and the 7th Zambia Rifles soread over the Copperbelt, and Lusaka and Kabwe respectively which had a small staff from the Zambia Regiment. Needless to explore to boot into the history of the Federation, but it will be recalled, in just a few words that the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland existed for just a decade (1953-63) owing to perceived or apparent maladministration propagated by the Federal Government but also compounded by racial and political differences between the majority blacks and the minority whites of the three territories. But what is a federation and why, one may wonder? This question sounds ridiculous at this stage to say the least. However, during the second reading of the Bill in the House of Commons on the dissolution of the federation, on 11 July 1963, Member of Parliament for Thirsk and Malton (Mr Robin Turton) observed that, ‘we did not allow public servants (seconded to the federation from the United kingdom) to explain federation... when I went out

The black majority of Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland, due to racial discriminations between the majority blacks and the minority whites, robustly agitated for self-governance and consequently as an initial step, the existence of the federation was placed in doubt by the Monckton Report of 1960. The report’s chief recommendations were: right of secession to be granted to the states making the federation; mitigation of racial discrimination and its future prevention by a Bill of Rights; increased African political representation; extensive transfer of government functions from the federation to the territories. At constitutional talks in London in March 1963 between the British Government and the Federation, Northern Rhodesian, and Southern Rhodesian governments, the British Government’s acceptance of the right of the territories to secede indicated that the end of the federation was at hand. During the June-July 1963 conference attended by all governments concerned except Nyasaland was held at Victoria Falls to consider the measures necessary for an orderly dissolution of the federation but also to save it from collapsing. The