YOUTH MUST BE IN VANGUARD OF DEFENDING SOVEREIGNTY
Malema (Mozambique), 10 Jan (AIM) – Mozambican Defence Minister Cristovao Chume on Monday challenged young Mozambicans to take up their positions in the vanguard of defending the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He was speaking in Malema district, in the northern province of Nampula, at the ceremony that formally opened the 2023 registration for military service. All Mozambicans are legally obliged to register for military service in the year of their 18th birthday. The registration period lasts until 28 February.
“You are the continuity of this nation, like the generations that preceded you”, Chume told the youth of Nampula. “So accept that you are in the vanguard of this process”.
He stressed that the defence of Mozambique is, in the first instance, the responsibility of Mozambicans. “Do not expect that citizens of other countries will come here to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity, because this country is ours”, he declared.
Chume warned against “mortgaging the future of our motherland, whose independence was achieved with so much sacrifice”.
He urged parents, local authorities, religious bodies and educational institutions to act as agents of civic and patriotic education, and to mobilise young people to register for military service.
Chume said that, since 2017, the northern province of Cabo Delgado has been the victim of terrorist attacks. He praised young Mozambicans, from across the country, who have given their best efforts to defend Mozambique.
“I give my full recognition to these heroic youths who are fighting for the pacification of our country”, he declared.
Chume said he had arrived from the Northern Operational Theatre (i.e. Cabo Delgado), and was carrying a message from the young soldiers stationed there, which he read out to the ceremony. “The country is ours”, the message said. “Do not allow terrorism to spread. Let us protect our families. Let us come together as one people to eradicate this evil because together we are stronger”.
The message concluded by urging all those eligible to register for military service “to strengthen the military component of national defence”.
Chume took the opportunity to call for “redoubled vigilance among our communities towards any kind of suspicious behaviour. Normally, the terrorists live among us. They can be our neighbours, our relatives, and even appear to be our friends”.
The target set by the Defence Ministry for the 2023 military registration campaign is 221,141 – which compares with 220,000 registered last year. But, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), based on projections from the 2017 population census, over 680,000 Mozambicans celebrate their 18th birthday this year.
(AIM)
Ri/pf
