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Conscription in Mozambique refers to the military service in the Mozambique Defense Armed Forces. It includes a mandatory registration for all male and female citizens at the age of 18 years old. The army then selectively chooses the amount of citizens it drafts for a 5-year mandatory military service.
The mandatory conscription law was passed in 1978 during the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992) in order to have a stronger governmental military force at the time. [1] RENAMO conscripted also child soldiers to the army during the Civil War. [2]
In 1997, after the transition of Mozambique into a democracy, the law was modified as ''Law of Obligatory Military Service''. The minimum age was set at 18 and the period of recruitment was set for January and February. Also a medical examination was introduced as an obligatory condition for recruitment. [1]
In 2009, the law was amended and now called ''Law of Military Service''. Conscription was not obligatory for all citizens anymore. However, the new law made it mandatory for all citizens between 18 and 35 no matter their gender to register with the military. [1]
In November 2023, the parliament of Mozambique approved a law to extend compulsory military service from two years to five years. One of the reasons was the ongoing Islamist insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region. Defence Minister Cristóvão Chume claimed this step was necessary, as the military "needed to be modern and more professional to be able to face challenges against national security and sovereignty." [3]
Mozambican citizens, no matter their gender, have to register with the army when they turn 18 years old. Citizens can be exempt from mandatory military service, if they have health issues, studies or career or government needs. [3] [4] Mozambique doesn't allow soldiers under the age of 18 years old to enlist; it is one of the parties to the multilateral treaty of Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. [5] However, according to a 1997 law, the minimum age of conscription could be lowered in time of war.
According to Article 20 of the 1997 Military Service Law (Lei do Serviço Militar), individuals eligible for exemption from military service include pre-enlistees who are children or brothers of those deceased due to military obligations, sole dependents of mentally or physically incapacitated parents, and individuals solely responsible for their spouse, ascendant, descendant, sibling, or nephew under 18 years of age. They can obtain exemption by paying an exemption fee. [6]
A selective amount of citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 are summoned by the Mozambican army to do a mandatory 5-year military service. [3] In 1999, one government official, in an interview, stated that only 1,000 young people a year would be called up for military service. [5] This number has increased a lot in recent years: The Mozambican Defense Ministry announced plans to recruit 221,141 individuals aged 18 to 35 for military service in 2024. Of these recruits, 147,114 will be men, with the remainder being women. [7]
In 1997, Mozambique recognized the right to conscientious objection to military service for religious reasons in the "Obligatory Military Service Act". [8] [9] This right may temporarily be suspended or restricted in the event of a declaration of a state of war, siege, or emergency, in accordance with the terms of the constitution. [9]
However, other sources claim that conscientious objection is not being recognized. Based on a 2006 UN Commission on Human Rights report Civil and Political Rights, Mozambique, at that time, did not recognize conscientious objection. [10] In 2023, BBC reported that people who refuse to show up to their military service face criminal liability. [3]
There are international calls to grant police officers the right to conscientious objection in situations where they may be forced to commit human rights violations, as well as to exempt individuals from paying taxes that fund military budgets. [11] [12]
A 2012 study by a Mozambican youth organisation, Parlamento Juvenil, showed that the conscription process was penetrated with racial and economic discrimination, affecting poor youth disproportionally. These individuals were often unable to avoid conscription by bribing officials. [13] [14]
Conscription is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day under various names. The modern system of near-universal national conscription for young men dates to the French Revolution in the 1790s, where it became the basis of a very large and powerful military. Most European nations later copied the system in peacetime, so that men at a certain age would serve 1 to 8 years on active duty and then transfer to the reserve force.
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–industrial complex due to a crisis of conscience. In some countries, conscientious objectors are assigned to an alternative civilian service as a substitute for conscription or military service.
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
The Federal Republic of Germany had conscription for male citizens between 1956 and 2011. On 22 November 2010, the German Minister of Defence proposed to the government to put conscription into abeyance on 1 July 2011. The constitution, however, retains provisions that would legalize the potential reintroduction of conscription.
Military service is mandatory both in the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus. In the Greek-speaking South, it is mandatory for all male citizens and controversially also some non-citizens to serve in the Cypriot National Guard for 14 months. An alternative civilian service for conscientious objectors is possible, lasting 19 months. In the Turkish-speaking North, military service lasts between 12 and 15 months, while no alternative civilian service is recognized and conscientious objectors face imprisonment.
Singapore maintains an active conscription system in accordance with the regulations set by the Government of Singapore, known as National Service (NS). This requires all qualified male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents to serve a period of active duty military service in the uniformed services.
In Turkey, compulsory military service applies to all male citizens from 21 to 41 years of age. It is 6 months for all males regardless of education degree. Different rules apply to Turks abroad. For Turks with multiple citizenship, the conscription lapses if they have already served in the army of another country.
Since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, fixed-term military service has been compulsory in Israel. The draft laws of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) only apply to Jews, Druze, and Circassians. Because the Druze and Circassian communities are less populous, their women are exempted from mandatory military service altogether. Women from the Jewish community are not exempted, but serve for slightly shorter terms than their male counterparts. The IDF does not conscript non-Druze Arab citizens of Israel, though their men and women may enlist voluntarily.
Halil Savda is a Turkish conscientious objector who has been subjected to continued arrest and conviction for his refusal to serve mandatory military service – in violation of Turkish law.
Conscription in Russia is a 12-month draft, which is mandatory for all male citizens who are between 18 and 30 years old, with a number of exceptions. Avoiding the draft is a felony under Russian criminal code and is punishable by up to 18 months of imprisonment. Conscripts are generally prohibited from being deployed abroad.
Sherut Leumi is an alternative voluntary form of national service in Israel, as opposed to the mandatory military conscription prevalent in the country. It is designed for individuals who do not meet the eligibility criteria for service in the Israel Defense Forces, or who hold conscientious objections to military enlistment. The program primarily was created for religious Jewish girls aged 17 to 24, although it is open to all applicants who cite diverse grounds for their decision.
In the United Kingdom, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, and the second from 1939 to 1960. The last conscription term ended in 1963 although many soldiers chose to continue in the service beyond 1963.
Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to perform compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military.
Exemption from military service in Israel is covered by the Israeli Security Service Law, which regulates the process of Israeli military conscription. Per the law, an Israeli citizen who is drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may be exempted if an evaluation finds them to meet specific criteria. The IDF's conscription laws only apply to three communities: the Jews, the Druze, and the Circassians. Both men and women are drafted from the Jewish community, whereas only men are drafted from the Druze and Circassian communities.
A construction soldier was a non-combat role of the National People's Army, the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic, from 1964 to 1990. Bausoldaten were conscientious objectors who accepted conscription but refused armed service and instead served in unarmed construction units. Bausoldaten were the only legal form of conscientious objection in the Warsaw Pact.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) began as an all-volunteer force. In 1955, as part of an effort to modernize the PLA, the first Military Service Law created a system of compulsory military service. Since the late 1970s, the PLA has been a hybrid force that combines conscripts and volunteers. Conscripts who fulfilled their service obligation can stay in the military as volunteer soldiers for a total of 16 years.
The issue of transgender people and military service in South Korea is a complex topic, regarding gender identity and bodily autonomy. Currently, transgender women are excluded from the military of South Korea.
Conscription is inscribed in the 1976 Constitution of the Republic of Cuba in article 65, stating that "Defense of the socialist homeland is the greatest honor and the supreme duty of every Cuban citizen." There is a military presence through all levels of education in Cuba, however the recruiting process begins in secondary school as nationals, both male and female, are able to enlist in the army from the age of 17.
South Korean military laws and procedures discriminate against sexual minorities, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals, who serve in the military. At the time of enlistment, recruits are categorized based on their physical and mental health. Sexual minorities can be marked as having a “mental handicap” or “personality disorder,” which determines their status and duties as personnel. They can also be institutionalized in a mental facility or be dishonorably discharged. Military personnel have reported experiencing harassment, violence, and forcible revealing of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Conscription in Georgia applies to male citizens aged 18 to 27, who need to serve the Georgia Defence Forces for a period of 12 months.