Botswana

Republic of Botswana

The Republic of Botswana (Lefatshe la Botswana) was previously the British protectorate of Bechuanaland. When hostile Ndebele began pushing their way onto lands traditionally held by the Tswana-people in the late 19th century, several of the Batswana leaders requested help from the British government. Between 1885 and 1964, the land was administered by Britain, but when proposals were made for democratic self-government they were granted, with general elections and ratification of a constitution leading to full independence in September 1966. Botswana is one of very few nations in Africa to have never suffered a coup d'etat, dictatorship, civil war, or armed conflict with any of its neighbors.

The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is composed of approximately 12,000 personnel, including two infantry brigades, four infantry battalions, an engineer regiment, and a commando regiment.

Camouflage Patterns of Botswana

• Following the British standard, Botswana has issued DPM pattern camouflage to its service members since the mid-1980s or early 1990s. As with many nations, sources for both printed fabrics and completed military uniforms have varied so considerably over the years that a number of different versions of DPM would have likely been in the Armed Forces supply system at any one time.

• A para-military branch of the Botswana Police Service (BPS), known as the Special Support Group (SSG), at one time wore this unique camouflage design having olive green, black and blue-green shapes on a light brown background. At least two fabric weights have been documented.

• The Department of Wildlife and National Parks have worn a vibrant, vertical stripe pattern camouflage in the past consisting of brown and green stripes on a khaki background. Recent photographs suggest department personnel may have switched to Multicam.

• The Botswana Police SSG now wears the mottled grey camouflage pattern seen below. The unit is tasked with providing armed escorts, crime surveillance, installation security, and border patrols.

• Members of the Anti-Poaching Unit of the Botswana Police have in recent years worn a version of Multicam with an arid colorway, having less green and more shades of brown and tan.