Mozambique: Military service duration extended from two to six years

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Mozambique: Military service duration extended from two to six years

9:10 CAT | 03 Jan 2025

Director-Nacional-de-Recursos-Humanos-no-MDN-Major-Jorge-Leonel

File photo: Ministério da Defesa Nacional Facebook

The duration of military service for recruits has been extended from two years to five or six years to ensure that, after fulfilling their civic duty, young people leave with a profession and skills to create self-employment and sustain themselves, announced Jorge Leonel, Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Defence, yesterday.

This measure aims to professionalise the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces (FADM) and enable enlisted youth to acquire skills and ensure their retention in service.

“As you know, from this moment forward and with the introduction of the new law, those who are enlisted will no longer serve only for the two-year period stipulated in the previous law. Instead, the new law extends the service duration to five or six years, depending on whether they are in general or specialised forces,” said Leonel.

He further explained that the extension is intended to professionalise the FADM, recognising that at the end of this period, recruits will return to society with the valuable opportunity to have learned a skill.

“They now have a significant opportunity to acquire a trade, something that will allow them to develop an autonomous activity after completing their military service. Another of our goals is to retain young people in the FADM. Previously, the two-year period involved significant costs for the state,” Leonel noted.

The Ministry of Defence acknowledges that basic training alone took six months, with an additional six months dedicated to professional training, meaning that training consumed roughly half of the two-year service period under the previous system.

With the extended service period, recruits will have more time to professionalise and, if they choose, remain in active service for longer.

Additionally, the improved conditions within the military not only aim to create satisfaction in various areas but also provide young people with opportunities to transition to the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces if they wish.

“Today, in light of some of the conditions being created and improved, we’ve observed that requests to leave the armed forces have decreased by almost 90%,” Leonel stated.

He emphasised that while many young people prefer to stay in the FADM, the Ministry of Defence believes this alone is not enough. There is a need to create the necessary conditions to genuinely motivate young people to remain in the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces, as outlined in the new law.

Source: AIM