RRS dismisses ‘False Information by BBC News’ regarding birth registration for Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, June 30, 2023 (FBC) – On June 28, 2023, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News published an article titled “Eritrean babies in Ethiopian birth certificate limbo,” which contained unfounded claims about the denial of Eritrean refugees for a birth certificate.

According to the Ethiopian Refugee and Returnee Service (RRS) the article claimed that “Ethiopian refugee authorities stopped the service about 18 months ago,” which is a baseless allegation.

RRS disclosed that registration has resumed in November 2022 and 2,149 Eritrean refugee children have been registered since then.

As per the data from our “Digital Request and Compliant System,” there are no backlogs at all, RRS has indicated.

Additionally, the article claimed Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) has not responded to requests from its Tigrinya unit for comments, but no one from the BBC approached authorities or the communications section at the Service, RRS added.

“At this juncture, it is worth to seriously noting that RRS has been working hard to provide relevant services to refugees, including the issuance of travel documents and birth certificates” RRS has said.

The statements made by BBC News are unfounded and only serve to create division and discord, RRS in its latest statement has said.