NAY PYI TAW — Myanmar’s government has enforced a compulsory military service law as the junta continues to battle armed ethnic militias and resistance forces on multiple fronts across the nation.

All men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 are required to serve for up to two years under military command and specialists such as doctors aged up to 45 must serve for three years, state media said Saturday, according to Reuters.

The junta “issued the notification of the effectiveness of People’s Military Service Law starting from Feb. 10, 2024,” televised state media reported Saturday.

The law was enacted in 2010 by a previous military government but had never been enforced before.

The introduction of the People’s Military Service Law maintains citizens have a duty to protect “non-disintegration of the union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty,” state media said, adding the law has been enacted “in order to serve this duty.”

State media said the Defense Ministry would release details and instructions at a further date.

Myanmar’s military regime recently extended its state of emergency for another six months as it marked three years on Feb. 1 since its deadly coup which ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The fighting escalated last October, when powerful armed ethnic militias joined with resistance forces to mount major new offensives against the military. — CNN