DJIBOUTI PASSES NEW LEGISLATION ON CITIZENSHIP

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 001278

SIPDIS

LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV DJ
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI PASSES NEW LEGISLATION ON CITIZENSHIP



1. (U) Summary: On 26 September the Permanent Commission of
the Djiboutian National Assembly adopted a new law regarding
qualifications for Djiboutian citizenship. The new law is
more liberal than the current requirements and will give
greater rights to pass on citizenship to Djiboutian women.
End Summary.


2. (U) Currently, the law states that a person must show
proof of both the mother and father having citizenship in
order to be eligible for Djiboutian nationality. The
legislation adopted on 26 September will change the
requirement to show proof of either the mother or the
father's Djiboutian citizenship. Due to the nature of the
bookkeeping at the Population Services and the historically
nomadic nature of the Djiboutian population, many cases
depend on the applicant being "well-known" by the case
workers, or the district commissioners in the instance of
those outside Djibouti city.


3. (U) Only the Service de Population (Population Service)
within the Ministry of Interior has the responsibility and
authority to issue national identity cards. The Service de
Population has one office in the capital city. However,
District Commissioners are also given authority to process
cases and submit them to the main bureau in the capital.
This, and the lack of funds, personnel and training, has led
to there being a reported back-log of applications that
number nearly 6,000.


4. (U) Identity cards cost the applicant 2,000 DF (roughly 11
USD) for the initial application. Replacements are much more
expensive at 10,000 DF (56 USD). The cost of even the
initial application is prohibitive for the average Djiboutian
family, whose average GDP per capita is measured at only
1,200 USD annually. (Note: This figure does not take into
account the over 50 percent unemployment rate. End Note.)
Many families choose to use their money to purchase food for
their children rather than apply for a national ID.


5. (U) The lack of a National Identity Card can make a
Djiboutian's life very difficult. There are numerous tasks
that one cannot accomplish without an identity card.
Registering for school, getting a job, and collecting
benefits are among many. Because many children do not have
ID cards and cannot go to school without one, the Service de
Population is starting to expedite processing applications in
batches by year of birth - starting with the most recent
decade. Occasional round-ups of illegal aliens can also be
one situation where it is dangerous not to have a national
identity card.


6. (U) Said Aboubaker Bosoma, Director of the Service de
Population said in a conversation with PolOff on 18 August
that the present system, though simple, does not work well
and the service does have a large back-log. Bosoma said
there is great need for their archives and processing system
to be computerized in order to accelerate work. He also
commented that the new law, which at the time had not been
passed, would facilitate working through the caseload by
making it easier to attain citizenship.
RAGSDALE