Almost 150,000 young Mozambicans registered for compulsory military service since January

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Almost 150,000 young Mozambicans registered for compulsory military service since January

4:18 CAT | 06 Feb 2024

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]

A total of 149,222 young people have been registered for Mandatory Military Service (SMO) in Mozambique since January, a slight increase over the same period in 2022, when more than 148,000 enrolled, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

“After around four weeks of military registration activities, which began on January 2nd, the Ministry of National Defence registered, throughout the national territory, 149,222 young people, corresponding to 67.48% of the planned target,” a preliminary assessment that Lusa had access to this Tuesday announces.

Of the total number registered, 96,741 are men and 52,481 women. The process, which began on January 2nd and ends on February 28th, expects to see more than 221,141 young people registering.

The provinces of Zambézia and Manica in central Mozambique, and Maputo and Gaza in the south, registered the highest number of young people.

The Ministry of Defence of Mozambique has 1,670 registration posts, of which 1,499 are fixed and 171 mobile.

In December, the Mozambican president enacted a legislative review that extends the minimum period of compulsory military service from two to five years, approved in parliament with only the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power) in favour.

The military census taking place across the country and in diplomatic and consular missions abroad covers all Mozambicans under the age of 35.

The exercise is carried out at the beginning of every year and does not automatically imply incorporation into the SMO, which is in turn subject to aptitude tests and the number defined annually for entry into the Armed Defence Forces of Mozambique (FADM).

Source: Lusa