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Maputo. — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi urged the country’s armed forces (FADM) to remain focused on fighting the terrorism that has been plaguing the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
President Nyusi, who was speaking at the FADM sergeants’ school, in the southern district of Boane, during the closing ceremony of the 14th sergeants’ training course, also urged the FADM to welcome those terrorists who intend to leave the bush and return to their families.
“We hope that 2024 will be a year of hard work, I believe you already know that the moment you have left is the moment our enemies want to take advantage of us. And I want to take this opportunity to tell them that I am still willing to receive those brothers who are in the bush. The right place is not in the bush, but here in the communities to build our country,” declared President Nyusi.
There had been “visible victories” over the past fortnight in the theatre of operations in Cabo Delgado, “where we put out of action many, many terrorists, including foreigners”, he added. President Nyusi did not give the nationalities of the foreign terrorists killed.
The President said that the parliamentary approval of the law amending Compulsory Military Service (SMO), which extends the service time from the current two to five years, aims not only to extend the period of normal effective service, but also to guarantee the retention and availability of experienced personnel.
“I’ve experienced cases where my generals became very desperate, after training Special Forces with the knowledge that the others didn’t have, but because they had already completed the two years, they had to leave before carrying out the missions. It’s wasteful, it involves costs and this law corrects that”, he claimed.
He also said that the amended law is also aimed at greater rationality and profitability of the efforts and resources invested.
President Nyusi stressed that the law also aims to criminalise those who ran away when drafted into the FADM. — AIM
Online Reporter