Ethiopia responds to BBC report on refugee birth certificates

Ethiopia’s Refugee and Returnees Service (RRS) has responded to a BBC report last week that birth certificates for new-born babies born to Eritrean refugee parents were not being issued.

The parents say that this is hindering family reunification.

The RRS called the claims “a baseless allegation”.

“Registration is going on since November 2022 and 2,149 Eritrean children are registered,” it said in a statement.

But the statement did not address whether or not it is issuing the birth certificate documents the families need.

One man, who lives in Germany, told the BBC that he had been waiting desperately to bring his wife and children to live with him.

Birth certificates are required by the German embassy before it can issue the visas for the babies.

“I have seen the response from RRS. Our problem is not registration – what we need is the birth certificate document which the German embassy is requesting,” one father said.

Another said: “Our wives have been going to the RRS offices many times for months asking for the birth certificate but still we are waiting despite repeated promises.”

Source: BBC