Somalia to recognise only citizens with national IDs - President Mohamud

Somalia will recognise only citizens with national identification cards once the ongoing programme to issue the documents ends, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said.

The country rolled out biometric national identification cards in September 2023 and is targeting to register at least 15 million Somalis, including children, by 2026.

President Mohamud warned that those who miss the deadline would not be recorgnised.

“Anyone who fails to register for the Somali ID within the set timelines shall not be considered a Somali citizen,” he said on Thursday.

In pointed remarks, the president said formalised identification was now “the cornerstone of Somali belonging.”

“It is through identification (card) that one becomes Somali, not through appearance or simply speaking the Somali language,” he said on Thursday.

“The best way to keep our country and our citizens safe is to have a Somali identity card.”

Illegal passports

Somalia operated without a centralised identification system for more than 30 years following the collapse of President Siad Barre’s government in January 1991.

In that span of time, financial transactions, government services and even law enforcement relied on mutual trust, clan networks or foreign passports in the absence of official identity.

Since July, citizens have been required to present national IDs before accessing banking services. Domestic flights also require travellers to produce a valid ID.