“The army must recruit in order to wage war. But what happens today is that we recruit in order to give people jobs. I recruit my son because I can’t educate him, so I send him into the army or the police. Then, when I hear that he’s being sent to Cabo Delgado, I do everything to take his name off the list”, said David Munongoro, commander of the reservists in the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM). He was head of the military police for 12 years, and also deputy commander of the Higher Institute of Defence Studies. He was speaking to reporters during a Scientific Conference in Maputo on defence and security.

Current procedures for recruiting soldiers to the FADM do not produce the kind of army needed in the fight against insurgents in Cabo Delgado. Instead of nepotism in military recruitment to create jobs, the army needs to recruit people to fight the war. It is up to the State to motivate the troops by providing them with decent conditions, Munongoro added. “There should be good quality food, good equipment, good pay. And when I speak of good pay, I’m not just talking about wages, I’m also including life insurance because in the event of his death, a soldier must be sure that his family will be well looked after”. (AIM 25 Aug)