Five-year military service in Mozambique will begin after June

Conscription into the Mozambique Armed Defense Forces will be extended to a mandatory period of five to six years from the current two years after June, as stipulated in the revised military service law.

The National Director of Personnel of the Ministry of National Defense, Colonel Jorge Delfim Leonel, said this Monday, in response to a question from Lusa during a press conference in Maputo on the 2024 military census, that the revision of the military service law provides for a period of 180 days after publication for it to take effect by virtue of.

This amendment to the law on military service, approved on December 14, 2023 in Parliament and published on December 29, provides, inter alia, that the minimum period of compulsory military service is increased from the current two years to five years for general troops, extended to six years for special forces .

The forecast indicates that the changes will apply starting next June, with previous registrations retained for a period of two years.

“It depends, a lot depends on when they are incorporated. Therefore, I cannot say here that five-year or six-year plans will begin this year, since the law approved in the Assembly of the Republic has 180 days to come into force. force. Let’s imagine hypothetically that incorporation is happening now. We give 180 days until approximately June, if incorporation occurs before June, of course, this will be in the light of the previous law. Therefore, they will be in two years,” explained the responsible person.

To justify the extension of military service, Colonel Jorge Delfim Leonel recalled that until now, during the two years of service in the ranks, the first nine months were basic training, followed by “a period of professionalization that took longer.” four to five months or less.”

“As you can see, this soldier spent more than half his time completing military service in his specialty. And he had only six months to complete his military service. It was considered expedient to extend this period in order to make this soldier professional and combative,” he noted.

The expansion, which he insisted, “is aimed not only at enhancing the professionalism of the military during the execution” of the mission, but also at ensuring “the retention of military personnel within the ranks of the Mozambican Defense Forces” and “improving operational capabilities.” these military personnel upon request.”

The Ministry of National Defense announced this Monday that a total of 280,878 young people completed the military census in the period set from January 2 to February 28, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2023. many of them will be included.

“As a rule, unifications are made based on the needs of the Armed Forces. Therefore, the Armed Forces have a plan, they send this plan to the Ministry of National Defense, and based on this plan we carry out transformations,” he concluded. Colonel Jorge Delfim Leonel.

On November 22, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi asked for “decisions” on the military’s response capabilities in Cabo Delgado, especially with reservists, given the planned withdrawal of foreign forces supporting terrorist groups on the ground.

“Concrete decisions on the responsiveness of the Armed Forces regarding their actions to combat terrorism in Cabo Delgado in the period after the withdrawal of friendly forces from CAMIM and Rwanda,” demanded Nyusi, speaking in Maputo at the opening of the XXIV Coordination Council of the Ministry of National Defense.

“To this end, your consideration should also evaluate how best to capitalize on the pool of reservists by engaging them directly or indirectly in various missions in favor of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. And the current reality justifies this,” he added.