The Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, on Wednesday urged the Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique (FADM) to remain focused on combating terrorism in Cabo Delgado, and reiterated his openness to welcoming terrorists back to their families..

"We wish 2024 to be a year of hard work, I believe you already know that the moment you rest, is the moment our enemies want to take advantage of us," said Nyusi, quoted by AIM.

He was speaking at the FADM sergeants' school, General Alberto Joaquim Chipande, in the district of Boane, Maputo province, during the closing ceremony of the 14th sergeants' training course.

On the occasion, the President of the Republic said that the approval of the law revising the Compulsory Military Service (SMO) is aimed not only at extending the period of normal effective service, but also at guaranteeing the retention and availability of experienced personnel, doing justice to the investment made in the sector.

"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 explained.

He also said that this law is also aimed at greater rationality and profitability of the efforts and resources invested.

"As I said, usually one battle is different from another. The sergeant and the soldier mature according to the work or operations they carry out. So, when they reach maturity, that's when they should leave the FADM," said Nyusi, in a reference to the old law that established a period of two for fulfilling the SMO.

Nyusi stressed that the instrument also aims to criminalize those who abscond when called up to join the SMO and brings improvements to the sergeant class.

"The revision also introduces provisions that make the compelled and offenders who want to evade the patriotic call to serve in the armed forces criminally liable," said Nyusi, for whom the revised law introduces the need to improve the condition of the sergeant.