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Mauritius Armed Forces in National Life
Traditionally, the armed forces have played a minimal
role in
Mauritian national life. In 1859 the British colonial
government
established the first Mauritian Police Force, with a
separate
unit for Port Louis. Ordinance No. 16 of 1893 expanded the
Police
Force, which by 1899 numbered 700 personnel, 300 of whom
were
stationed in Port Louis and the remainder at eight other
locations. The officer corps included one inspector
general and
seven inspectors while the other ranks had twelve
subinspectors.
With the exception of about 100 police who carried Martini
Henry
rifles, the Police Force was unarmed. Europeans, Creoles,
and
Indians served in the police. Initial recruitment into the
police
was for a period of not more than three years. The
colonial
government allowed men of good character to reenlist for a
further five years.
Except during 1942, when a Japanese attack seemed
imminent,
World War II had little impact on Mauritius. However,
Mauritians
fought in North Africa and the Middle East. Additionally,
the
Royal Mauritius Regiment, a small part-time home defense
volunteer unit, deployed to Madagascar for lines of
communication
security work. This regiment became involved in a mutiny
in
Madagascar caused by tensions among British,
Franco-Mauritians,
and Creoles in the military.
After the British garrison withdrew from Mauritius in
1960,
the authorities created the SMF, with six officers and 146
enlisted personnel to maintain internal security. The
separate
regular police force was divided into special divisions
including
criminal investigation, riot control, traffic control,
immigration and passports, and water police.
On at least two occasions during the last few years
before
independence, the SMF required British assistance to
maintain
internal security. On May 10, 1965, political grievances
caused
armed clashes between the Hindu and Creole communities.
After the
governor declared a state of emergency, a company of 2d
Battalion, Coldstream Guards, flew from Aden to Mauritius
to help
keep the peace. These troops remained on the island until
July
1965.
On January 22, 1968, the governor again requested
British
soldiers to help maintain order. The authorities feared
that
politically motivated violence between the capital's
"Istanbul"
Muslim gang and the rival "Texas" Creole gang in Port
Louis would
spread to the rest of the island. Troops from B Company of
1st
Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, deployed
to
Mauritius from Malaysia, and worked with the police and
the SMF
to restore peace.
With independence in 1968, almost all internal security
duties became the responsibility of the Mauritian
government.
However, under the terms of a joint defense agreement
announced
on March 11, 1968, the British government agreed to help
Mauritius combat any internal security threat and to train
local
security and police forces. This agreement remained in
effect
until 1975.
Data as of August 1994
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