Conscientious objection

27/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Ivory Coast has conscription. [2] [4] [5]

Conscription is believed to have existed ever since the 1960s. [1]

military service

All men over 21 years of age are liable for military service. [4] [1]

Military service lasts for 6 months. [5]

Military service also involves work in rural development. [2]

postponement and exemption

No information available.

recruitment

Some sources state that conscription is imposed selectively.

27/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Gambia has no conscription and has never had since it achieved independence in 1965. [1] [2] [3] [6]

recruitment

Enlistment in the armed forces is voluntary. The minimum recruitment age is 18 for both male and female recruits. Initially recruits enlist for a specified minimum period, in which they undergo a training of 4 to 6 months, thereafter they may wish to re-engage in the armed forces for another specified period.

27/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

According to some sources, Gabon had conscription in the 1980s. [1] [2] [3]

The 6 December 1960 Law-Decree nr. 4 (published in Journal Officiel de la République du Gabon, 1 January 1961) has created the national armed forces and instituted compulsory military service. [2]

A 1997 UN report states that there is no conscription.

25/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Since 1983 a civil war has being waged between the Srilankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The civil war is being waged mainly in the northern and eastern provinces of the country.

Because of the civil war the armed forces have been considerably expanded, from 20,000 troops in the early 1980s to 115,000 in 1997.

22/07/1998

In June 1998 armed conflict broke out when the chief army commander was dismissed following accusations of arms smuggle to an armed insurgent group in Senegal.
The commander rebelled against the government and gained wide support from soldiers and veterans from the liberation war. Two thousand troops from Senegal and Guinea assisted the government forces to suppress the rebellion. [4]

1 Conscription

conscription exists

Guinea-Bissau has conscription.

22/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Guinea has conscription. [1] [2] [3]

military service

Military service lasts for 24 months. [2] [3]

postponement and exemption

No information about this is available.

recruitment

About how recruitment actually takes place, no information is available.

2 Conscientious objection

There is no legal provision for conscientious objection. [1]

3 Draft evasion and desertion

Refusal to perform military service is punishable by imprisonment.

22/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Ghana has no military conscription, although according to art. 27, para. 6 of the constitution all citizens may be called to participate in the national defence. [1] [7]

The Ghanian armed forces consist of volunteers and there is no conscription law to meet the personnel requirements of the forces in peacetime. [7]

Yet Ghana has another form of conscription. According to the 1980 National Service Act (Act 426), there is a compulsory national service which includes eight weeks of military training.

22/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Several sources indicate that Equatorial Guinea has conscription. [2] [6] [7]

According to the government in 1992 military service is compulsory for male citizens. Art. 16, para. 2, of the Constitution establishes the compulsory nature of military service. The government added however that "the compulsory nature of military service is of course subject to the drafting of legislation governing military service", which would suggest that there are no conscription laws.

21/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

According to art. 58 of the constitution, "Defence of the homeland and its territory is a sacred duty and conscription is compulsory, in accordance with the law". Military service is regulated by the 1980 Military and National Service Act no. 127. [8]

military service

All men between 18 and 30 are liable for military service, which lasts for 3 years. [13] [14] [3] [6]

Graduated students serve for a period of 18 months. [6]

After serving, conscripts belong to the reserves for 7 years.

21/07/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

According to the Embassy of Djibouti in Washington DC military service is not compulsory. [2]

recruitment

Apparently, joining the armed forces is voluntary.

In 1994 it was reported that the Djibouti government discriminated against citizens on the basis of ethnicity in terms of employment and advancement. The armed forces - as well as the government - mainly consisted of members of the Issa, the dominant Somali clan in Djibouti.

21/07/1998

Since achieving independence from France in 1975, the three islands of the Comores Federal Islamic Republic has been the scene of continuous coup d'états in which French mercenaries played an important role. In 1997 two of the isles, Anjouan and Moheli, declared themselves independent from the main isle and wanted to return to French colonial power. Three hundred troops from the main island invaded the isles to bring them under control.

21/07/1998

Ever since October 1993, when soldiers of the armed forces dominated by Tutsis overthrew Burundi's first democratically elected government and killed President Ndadaye and other government officials, Burundi has been the scene of large-scale massacres. This coup attempt lead to the formation of armed Hutu gangs killing Tutsi civilians, causing the armed forces to start 'protecting' the Tutsi minority by killing Hutu's. The armed forces have been held directly or indirectly responsible for the massacres.