Ouagadougou: The commune of Bama hosted an operation from June 2 to 4, 2026 to issue birth certificates and Burkinabe National Identity Cards (CNIB) to more than 1,500 internally displaced persons and vulnerable people.
According to Burkina Information Agency, this special operation of free issuance of civil documents was organised by the ministry in charge of Territorial Administration and Mobility through the Directorate General of Modernisation of Civil Status (DGMEC) with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
This initiative is part of the project "support for the prevention of statelessness and the improvement of the protection environment" implemented in regions hosting refugees and with a high concentration of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The project targets eight regions, including Guiriko, represented by the communes of Bama and Karangasso Sambla.
The objective of this initiative is to establish basic social services and civil documents for many people exposed to a risk of statelessness and exclusion, particularly in municipalities experiencing massive population displacements due to the security crisis the country has been experiencing since 2015.
In the courtyard of the Bama town hall, several internally displaced and vulnerable people, including elderly people, women, and students, gathered to acquire the documents they no longer possess. One displaced person expressed gratitude to "the authorities for this activity," highlighting that their hasty departure had left them without time to collect their documents and that they lacked the means to renew them. "This operation is a lifesaver," she stated.
President F©lix Bay© of Bama, who presided over the launch of this operation, praised the mission's operators and congratulated the mobilized population while recommending order and discipline during the registration process. Bay© emphasized the necessity of the operation, stating, "A person without a birth certificate cannot obtain a national identity card. A person without a national identity card cannot move freely. It is difficult for them to access basic social services, let alone distinguish themselves from those who bring grief to our hardworking population day and night."
He further noted that the project is a relief for internally displaced people deprived of their freedom and commended the actors and partners of this measure for their responsiveness to the fundamental needs of the populations.