Document #1060564
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
A representative of the Somali-Canadian
Association of Etobicoke explained in a telephone interview with
the DIRB that every municipality in Somalia during Siad Barre's
regime, had the authority to issue identity cards (18 Oct. 1994).
He emphasized that identity cards were not mandatory and were
issued on demand. They were required to open a bank account, apply
for a passport, for schooling and for other government purposes and
only a small percentage of Somalis carried identity cards
(ibid.).
In order to have an identity card, however,
one required a birthcertificate, and in order to obtain a
birthcertificate the applicant had to open a family file with the
municipality and be issued a family number. The applicant would
have to provide two witnesses from his clan and/or subclan who know
him/her very well (ibid).
The identity cards bore the the family file
number and another number. He also explained that prior to 1973,
birth certificates and identity cards were issued in Italian in
southern Somalia but in English in northern Somalia. After 1973,
they were issued in the Somali language. This information was
corroborated by a representative of another Somali organization
based in Toronto, Somali Immigrant Aid (18 Oct. 1994).
A professor of public administration at
Syracuse University also corroborated the information adding that
only military personnel, the police and government employees were
required to carry identity cards (18 Oct. 1994).
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Professor of public administration,
Syracuse University, Syracuse. 18 October 1994. Telephone
interview.
Somali-Canadian Association of
Etobicoke, Etobicoke. 18 October 1994. Telephone interview with
representative.
Somali Immigrant Aid, Toronto. 18
October 1994. Telephone interview with representative.