Somalia: Information on forced military service for women
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM8293 |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on forced military service for women, 1 April 1991, SOM8293, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aabfac.html [accessed 19 June 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to Amnesty International's document entitle Conscientious Objections to Military Service, "a law providing for compulsory military service for all able-bodied citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 was enacted in Somalia in April 1981 but was not immediately implemented" (February 1988, 16). This document further reported that military service applies also to women between the ages of 18 and 30. However, the document states that "military conscription (in general) does not appear to have been applied systematically" (February 1988, 17).
Further information on this subject is currently unavailable to the IRBDC in Ottawa.
According to The Europa World Year Book (1989, 2285) and Africa Contemporary Record (1988, B411), military service of 18 months is compulsory in Somalia for men between 18 and 40 years of age.
Bibliography
The Europa World Year Book 1989, London: Europa Publications Ltd., 1989.
Colin Legum, ed., Africa Contemporary Record: Annual Survey and Documents 1986-1987, New York: Africana Publishing Company, 1988.
Amnesty International, Conscientious Objections to Military Service, London: Amnesty International Publications, February 1988.
