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Morocco officially reinstated compulsory military service on Thursday, 12 years after conscription was abolished. The policy, which was unveiled in August 2018, will see 10,000 people conscripted within the next year.

Moroccans aged between 19 and 25 will be called to serve in the military for a period of one year, with the first conscripts expected to be enrolled in August 2019. Women and dual nationals are not required to serve under the policy.

The issue of compulsory military service is controversial in Morocco. Some see conscription as gainful employment for young Moroccans blighted by unemployment, with almost 30% in 2018. Others view it as a way to steer young people away from protest movements.

The palace said that conscription was a way of improving young people’s sense of citizenship and improving their "integration in professional and social life".

King Mohammed VI instructed that 10,000 people be conscripted over the next year, with 15,000 to follow in the year after that, a cabinet statement published by the MAP agency said.

University students and those who do not meet the physical requirements will be exempt from conscription, while draft dodgers will face penalties ranging from one month to a year in prison.