GITEGA December 11th (ABP) – The Minister of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security, Mr. Martin Niteretse, carried out on December 8, 2023, the verification of the machines that will be used in the data digitalization system of the civil status sector in Burundi, with technical and financial support from UNDP and the World Bank.
Minister Niteretse indicated that the purpose of this test is to see if those machines are efficient and have the capacity to provide national identity cards according to demand and international requirements.
Copy of the draft of the biometric national identity card already prepared
He indicated that the ministry hopes that next year, all the Burundian population having the right to possess the national identity card will have this new biometric card in order to avoid lamentations from certain politicians after the elections, but also to conform to other countries in the region.
According to him, Burundi has a deficit in the civil status service which issues national identity cards and other documents identifying Burundians and foreigners residing in the country. It is in this context that the Ministry in charge of the Interior has just spent approximately two years working on the modernization of this sector in order to have a non-biodegradable and non-falsifiable biometric national identity card to respond to certain challenges including the possession of several national identity cards, the change of a person’s complete identity and so on.
After defining the route required obtaining the modern card, Mr. Niteretse indicated that the test that the ministry is currently carrying out in eleven communes of the country, namely Gitega, Bubanza, Bukinanyana, Kayanza, Ngozi, Kirundo, Muyinga, Cankuzo, Ruyigi, Rutana and Makamba, was successful and will soon be launched publicly.
He indicated that the ministry will also propose a law to protect this card currently being developed in order to propose it to the Council of Ministers for adoption within three months.
Note that after this test session, Minister Niteretse brought together the heads of services working in the Gitega province to raise their awareness on the fight against tax, customs and municipal tax fraud, on the protection of public property through the fight against economic embezzlement and misappropriation of public property or funds.
These department heads were also made aware of the fight against gender-based violence, pointing out that the ministry has recently recorded people who engage in reconciliation in the event of this violence, instead of condemning the author in accordance with the law.