STORY: SOMALIA BIOMETRIC ID CARDS TRT: 4:19 SOURCE: AU/UN IST RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free for

editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to news@auunist.org CREDIT REQUIRED: AU/UN IST LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/SOMALI/NATS DATELINE: 01st FEBUARY 2014, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA SHOTLIST: 1. Wide shot, building at Baraka Market Mogadishu 2. Wide shot, people walking on the streets 3. Med shot, people walking 4. Wide shot, people lining-up at new Nation ID Registration Centre 5. Close up, man counting prayer bids 6. Wide shot, man waiting with prayer bids 7. Close up, face of man waiting in line 8. Wide shot, interior of Centre with people registering for Biometric IDs 9. Med shot, people at the booths 10. Wide shot, men registering for their ID card 11. Close up, of registration document 12. Med shot, Mohamed Yusuf, Spokesman of Mogadishu Municipality talking to an attendant at the centre 13. Med shot, computer screen as woman registers SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Yusuf, Spokesman of Mogadishu Municipality and Office of the Mayor In this country we had what they called Abdallah Shideeye for the last 23 years. You can find in Bakara Market whatever ID card you would like to have, everyone could take citizenship before; but now we wanted to reach the digital system in the world thats why we brought the latest technology here. 14. Wide shot, people waiting inside the centre 15. Close up, woman face 16. Med shot, attendant registering two women 17. Close up, identity card on computer screen 18. Close up, printed ID card 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Yusuf, Spokesman of Mogadishu Municipality and Office of the Mayor: So we are not going to start where we were in 1991, but we are going to start... Today the world is digital, thats why we bring the chip Sim-card for the security issue. It is also a very good idea because not everyone can get it and we have the figure prints of whoever takes it in the database as well as every necessary document. Thats why we selected the latest version for the national identity card. 20. Wide shot, traditional elder registering 21. Close up, woman typing

22. Med shot, computer screen with blank ID card 23. Med shot, Elder Lahi Hashi taking a picture 24. Close up, elders ID being processed 25. Close up, finger-printing process 26. Med shot, computer screen showing finger-printing SOUNDBITE (Somali)) UGASA LAHI HASHI, Community Leader: It has a lot of benefits for me, it verifies who I am and my position in the community and this is written on the ID card. To the rest of the world its a way of identifying ones nationality and place of birth. With security if something happens with a person, you can get all his details and information from the ID card. So its very important. 27. Wide shot, people waiting at the centre 28. Med shot woman waiting to collect her ID card 29. Med shot, attendant working at their booths 30. Close up, computer screen SOUNDBITE (Somali) SAMIHA JEILANI KASIM, Student: It took me about a month of moving back and forth, but now I am finally here to sign for my ID card. There was a mistake with the spelling of my name on the ID card; where there was single S, they had put a double S. I came back several times but today, thank God, that I have finished the process. Now I want to get my passport so that I can travel with it. 31. Close up, Zakaria Aweis holding his new ID card SOUNDBITE (English) ZAKARIA AWEIS SAYID, Student: Its the first time, because as we know Somalia, we have been at war for 22 years. Now we are going into development, this is part of the development, so I am so happy. 32. Med shot, new biometric ID cards 33. Close up, biometric ID cards 34. Wide shot, Man showing off his new ID card 35. Med shot, man holding ID card

STORY: For over two decades, getting any form of official identification for Somali citizens was done through the back alleys of the infamous Bakara market, a system known as Abdallah Shideeye or the counterfeiter. Without a functioning government and institutions during the two decades of civil war, many Somalis had to acquire fake identity cards and passports to travel as they sought refugee status in neighboring countries. The country now has a functional government with institutions working at protecting the Somali identity. At this centre in Mogadishu, hundreds of Somalis brave the scorching sun, queuing to get their new national identity cards.

Setup up by the regional administration in December last year and with funding from US Aid through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the center sees traffic of between 200 and 500 people each day. In this country we had what they called Abdallah Shideeye for the last 23 years. You can find in Bakara Market whatever ID card you would like to have, everyone could take citizenship before; Says Mohamed Yusuf, Spokesman of Mogadishu Municipality and Office of the Mayor. but now we wanted to reach the digital system in the world thats why we brought the latest technology here. With just 13 workstations and locally trained staff, these men and women are rolling out Somalias new and improved IDs fitted with a smartcard. The electronic chip contains biometric data collected at the centre and has some of the latest security features to protect against forgery. So we are not going to start where we were in 1991, but we are going to start... Today the world is digital, thats why we bring the chip Sim-card for the security issue. It is also a very good idea because not everyone can get it and we have the figure prints of whoever takes it in the database as well as every necessary document. Thats why we selected the latest version for the national identity card. Adds Mohamed Yusuf. The legal age for one to acquire an ID card in Somalia is 15. There are three steps to the process; first one has to get a letter from their district commissioners office that confirms that they are Somali and are from that particular area. They then go to Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to have a criminal background check conducted and seek clearance. When thats complete, they head to the bank and pay USD 17.50 for the card before coming to National ID card Processing Centre. After filling in their details and giving their bio data, it takes between 4 to 7 days to receive the ID card. It has a lot of benefits for me, it verifies who I am and my position in the community and this is written on the ID card. Says Ugasa Lahi Hashi, an elder and Community Leader in the city. To the rest of the world its a way of identifying ones nationality and place of birth. With security if something happens with a person, you can get all his details and information from the ID card. So its very important. In 2007 the then Transitional Federal Government had tried to implement a similar biometric ID and passport system, but the process was marred by corruption and lacked the checks and balances on who qualifies for documents. Although the new process is working, the centre is clearly overwhelmed. Its the only centre in the country catering for Mogadishus estimated 3 million plus people and Somalis in other parts of the country have to travel to the capital to apply for the

service. The Somali Federal Government says it will soon open other centres across the city to meet the demand. It took me about a month of moving back and forth, but now I am finally here to sign for my ID card. Says Samiha Jeilani Kasim, a medical Student hoping to travel to the USA for further studies. There was a mistake with the spelling of my name on the ID card; where there was single S, they had put a double S. I came back several times but today, thank God, that I have finished the process. Now I want to get my passport so that I can travel with it. An excited first time ID card holder and student Zakaria Aweis Sayid had this to add. Its the first time, because as we know Somalia, we have been at war for 22 years. Now we are going into development, this is part of the development, so I am so happy. Somalia has taken a huge leap with technology and they are among the first five African countries to use the smartcards ID system. The government hopes that with the data collected, it can create a national database of its people, and that will help in the fight against extremism and groups like al Shabaab. The new ID cards are a prerequisite for getting Somalias new biometric passports as well, measures the government has put in place to not only safeguard its people but to once again reconnect them as global citizens, and give them an identity lost to years of war. This is among the many strides that country is taking, as it enjoys relative peace facilitated by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) that have helped liberate major cities of the country from the terror perpetrated by the al Shabaab militants. END.