INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OFRECONCILIATION(IFOR)
and
CONSCIENCE AND PEACE TAX INTERNATIONAL (CPTI)
Submissiontothe107thSessionoftheHumanRightsCommitteefortheattentionoftheCountryReportTaskForceon MOZAMBIQUE
(Militaryservice,conscientiousobjectionandrelatedissues)
Prepared:December2012.Contact:
DerekBRETT
InternationalFellowshipof Reconciliation
MainRepresentativetotheUN,Geneva
Tel: (41)77 4629825
Summary
ThereiseveryindicationthatMozambiquehasturneditsbackonitssadlegacyofcivilwar. Althoughobligatorymilitaryserviceforbothmenandwomenhavebeenmaintainedinlaweversinceindependence,itisbelievedtohavebeenoneofthefirstAfricancountriestomakelegislativeprovisionforconscientiousobjectiontomilitaryservice,andinpracticeitmaintainsoneofthesmallestarmedforcesinproportiontopopulationtobefoundanywhereintheworld.
Aftertheexperienceofthecivilwar,Mozambiquealsotookanearlyleadinthecampaigntooutlawtherecruitmentofchildsoldiers. Inthatrespect, it is recommended thatitshouldbeaskedwhatactionithastakeninresponsetotherecommendationoftheCommitteeontheRightsoftheChildthatitshouldmodifytheDeclarationitmadeonacceedingtotheOptionalProtocoltotheConventionontheRightsoftheChildon theinvolvementofchildreninarmedconflictsoastoexcludeinallcircumstancesthe possiblerecruitmentofpersonsundertheageof18.
MOZAMBIQUE: BasicInformation
Population(November2011,estimated[1])22,949,000
Conscriptionreportedlyenforcedbetweenindependencein1975andendofcivilwarin1992[2]
CurrentMilitaryServiceLegislation:
Lawon Military Service 24/97, 23rd December 1997
Liability: all citizens (men and women) aged 18 - 35
Periodofservice: 24months.
Unclear to what extent implementedin practice.
Reportedlycontainsprovisionsforconscientiousobjectors[3] – detailsnotknown.
Minimum recruitment age[4]: 18 (but can be lowered in time of war)
Manpower reaching “militarilysignificantage” in 2010[5]: 274,602Armedforces activestrength,November2011[6]: 11,200 asapercentageofthe number of men reaching “military age”: 4.1%
MilitaryexpenditureUS$mequivalent,2011[7] 76.9
Percapita $3.35
As%of GDP 0.9%
Background
TheFRELIMOmovementwhichhadin1964embarkedon awarofnationalliberationfromPortugalachievedindependenceandbecamethegovernmentin1975. Almostimmediately,however,itwasplungedinto a viciouscivilwaragainsttheRENAMOguerrillas,supportedbytheapartheid-eragovernmentofSouthAfrica. RENAMObecameaby-wordforatrocities,buttheconflictwasmarkedonbothsidesbyheavyrelianceonforcedrecruitment,includingrecruitmentofwomenandchildren.
Bytheendoftheconflictitwasestimatedthatthetwoarmiescontainedatotalof135,000soldiers. Theoriginalintentionwasthatanewnationalarmyofsome30,000wouldbedrawnequallyfromthetwosides;[8]infacttheseplanswererapidlyscaleddownandthearmedforcesofMozambiquearenowestimatedatsome11,200personnel – 10,000inthearmy,1,000intheairforceand200 inthenavy.[9]
Duringtheprocessofmassiveformalandinformaldemobilisation,theconscriptionlawsremainedonthestatutebook,butceasedtobeenforced. AnewLawonMilitaryServicewashoweverintroducedin1997. Underthislaw,whichremainsinforce,bothmenandwomenbetweentheagesof18and35areliablefortwoyearsmilitaryservice. Headsofhouseholdandbreadwinnersareexempt,asarecloserelativesofpersonswhodied inmilitaryservice.[10] Carewasalsotakentoavoidre-recruitingthosewhohadbeeninvolvedinthecivilwarsaschildren,whetherornottheywerecertifiedashavingpassedthroughaformaldemobilisationprogramme.[11]
ContemporaryreportsbyAmnestyInternationalindicatedthatthe1997Lawalsocontainedprovisionfortheexemptionofconscientiousobjectors.[12] Itisunlikelythatsuchprovisionshaveinpracticeeverbeeninvoked,asinrealitythelawhasbeenalmostcompletelyunenforced. The ratio between the number of males reaching “military age” each year and the active strength of the armed forces (see “Basic Information” above) may be the lowest in the world, if states with no armed forces are excluded. Lessthan10%ofthoseliableevenregisterformilitaryservice. In2006,toencourageregistration, this wasmadeapreconditionofobtainingapassportoremploymentinthecivilservice. Thetargetof59,000registrationswasgreatlyexceeded;nofewerthan167,000personsregisteredinthatyear,butmostofthesewere “regularising” theirfailuretoregisterinpreviousyears;thosereachingtheageof18werebyandlargestillignoringthelegalrequirementtoregisterformilitaryservice..[13]
ThusitwouldseemthatalthoughMozambiqueremainsplaguedbythelegacyofthecivilwar,notleastbyaplethoraofleft-overmunitions,[14]thecountryhasinpracticeturneditsbackonmilitarism.
Inthesamevein,itwassignificantthatitshouldhavebeenGraçaMachel,thewidowofMozambique'sfirstPresident,whowasappointedin1994toconducttheUnitedNationsStudyontheImpactofArmedConflictonChildren(thesadexperienceofMozambiquewasthesubjectofoneofthecasestudiesonchildsoldierscommissionedforthe “MachelReport”),andthatitwasMaputo whichinApril1999hostedthefirstoffiveregionalconferencesonchildsoldiers. Bothwereimportantstepsinthecampaignfortheadoptionof theOptionalProtocoltotheConventionontheRightsoftheChildon theinvolvementofchildreninarmedconflict(OPCAC).
MozambiqueacceededtoOPCACon19thOctober2004.OnaccessionitmadethefollowingDeclaration: “InaccordancewiththeMozambicanlegislation,theminimumageforenlistmentintoitsnationalarmedforcesis18years. TheRepublicofMozambiquedeclares,alsothataccordingtothelaw,theincorporationstartsattheageof20. TheRepublicofMozambique,furthermoredeclaresthatincaseofwartheageforthemilitaryservicecanbemodified."
AlthoughMozambique hasyettoreporttotheCommitteeontheRightsoftheChildunderthe optionalprotocol,itsSecondPeriodicReportundertheConventionontheRightsoftheChildwasexaminedinSeptember2009. InitsconcludingobservationstheCommitteeencouragedMozambiquetoexpresslyprohibittheenlistmentandmobilisation ofpersonsunder18,evenintimeofwar.[15] Subsequently, the ILO has expressed concern that national legislation may be interpreted as permitting the conscription of under-18s in time of war[16]
[1]Source: TheMilitaryBalance2012(InternationalInstituteofStrategicStudies,London),whichbasesitsestimateon “demographicstatisticstakenfromtheUSCensusBureau”.
[2]Horeman,B.Stolwijk,M.,RefusingtoBearArms,WarResistersInternational,London,1998
[3]Ibid,quotingAmnestyInternational.
[4]Source: ChildSoldiersInternational(formerlyCoalitiontoStoptheUseofChildSoldiers),Louderthanwords:anagendaforactiontoend stateuseofchildsoldiers London,September2012.
[5]Source: CIAWorldFactbook. Themalepopulationreaching “militarily significant age” - defined by the source as 16 - ismoremeaningfulthantotalpopulationinassessingthecomparativeimpactofmilitaryrecruitmentindifferentcountries.
[6]AsquotedbytheInternationalInstituteofStrategicStudies (London)inTheMilitaryBalance2012
[7]StockholmInternationalPeaceResearchInstitute(SIPRI),April2012
[8]Horeman,B.Stolwijk,M.,RefusingtoBearArms,WarResistersInternational,London,1998
[9]TheMilitaryBalance2012(InternationalInstituteforSecurityStudies,London),p 445.
[10]CoalitiontoStoptheUseofChildSoldiers,ChildSoldiersGlobalReport2008(London,2008),p239.
[11]CoalitiontoStoptheUseofChildSoldiers,ChildSoldiersGlobalReport2001(London,2001),p259.
[12]QuotedbyHoreman.Stolwijk,,op.cit
[13]ChildSoldiersGlobalReport2008,op.cit,
[14]Ibid
[15]CRC/C/MOZ/CO/2, 4thNovember2009 para78.
[16]ChildSoldiersInternational(2012)opcit,p51andp154.