Saturday, January 4, 2014

Exclusive Reports : Somalia faces logistical challenges in issuing new passports

A new process for obtaining passports requires Somalis to provide a birth certificate, an identification card from the local government and a certificate from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) proving they have no outstanding crimes.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud inspects one of three new passports issued by the government on December 22nd
But with many municipal governments across the country non-functional and the CID's operations limited to Mogadishu, the new passport process might not be available to most citizens, observers say.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud unveiled the new passports December 22nd and urged Somalis to acquire genuine identification documents from the authorities.
Previously it was not mandatory for citizens to have documentation from the local government to acquire a passport, and the Immigration and Citizenship Department used to issue passports and identification cards simultaneously.
Head of the Somali Immigration and Citizenship Department Abdullahi Gafow said the changes were made in the interest of national security and to verify the Somali citizenship of people seeking passports.
"Anyone who wants to acquire the new passport has to first get a birth certificate and a national identification card from the local government and then go through the national Criminal Investigations Department," Gafow told terror free somalia. "The person can then come to the Immigration and Citizenship Department to apply for the passport after obtaining all the prerequisite documents."
The new passport and identification card are both biometric and have been embedded with additional security features that safeguard against forgery, he said.
The biometric chip will enable the new Somali passports, which are produced domestically, to be easily be scanned at international airports, Somali government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman told terror free somalia.
The newly released passports will retain the same colours as the previous ones: blue for ordinary, red for diplomatic and brown for federal government employees.
The cost of acquiring a passport also remains unchanged at $83, Osman said. However, there is an additional $10.50 fee for the identification card and $5 for issuing a birth certificate.
The passports will be issued in the regions under Somali government control and a database will be created for local governments to ensure no fraudulent activities take place, he said.
A registration centre has been opened in Mogadishu where citizens can acquire the necessary documents from the Mogadishu municipality as well as the municipalities of other regions that are not yet operational locally.
"We have employed about 13 young technicians who will facilitate people's acquisition of identification cards as well as birth certificates so they can apply for the passport," said Mogadishu Mayor Mohamud Ahmed Nur, who opened the registration centre in Mogadishu December 23rd. "All local government documents will also be issued at this location from now on."
Nur called on all citizens to acquire the legal documents since they will need identification cards for many purposes.
"If you want to purchase a house or a car, import anything, purchase a SIM card, get a driver's license, or anything of the sort, you must have a national identification card," he said.

Challenges in regions not under government's control

The Benadir regional administration will issue identification documents to all citizens from regions not under government control until their situation changes, Benadir administration spokesperson Mohamed Yusuf told Sabahi.
"We will employ a process to verify the information of the people and we will issue the documents to them after we verify their case," he said.
But Mohamed Abdullahi Roble, who served as a district commissioner in Berbera and Jalalaqsi during the Mohamed Siad Barre administration, said it would be difficult for the Benadir administration to issue documents to people who are not from the capital because each person's identity can only be verified accurately by local authorities.
Roble said the government should open offices in Mogadishu for the regions that are not under the government's control so they can do the work in Mogadishu themselves.
"It is going to be really difficult for citizens who have neither the resources nor the time to travel to Mogadishu to obtain local government documents and the passport, but that is the only option available to the federal government until it can get the entire country under its control," he said.
There are also questions about the CID's capacity to issue reliable criminal background checks to determine whether an individual has committed a crime or not, said Abdinasir Hersi, a Mogadishu-based journalist who writes about national security issues.
"The CID only operates in Mogadishu and it also does not have a [national] information database of citizens," he told terror free somalia. "Therefore, it cannot issue a criminal background certificate to everyone."
CID officials did not comment on how they plan to verify whether citizens have committed crimes, or how they will be able to provide their service nationwide.

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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