In a press release released this Friday, the Ministry of Urban Planning, Territorial Communities and Regional Planning formally denied the accusations of fraud targeting civil status, widely relayed on social networks in recent days.
The Ministry of Urban Planning, Territorial Communities and Regional Planning reacted firmly to recent assertions deemed erroneous by Tahirou Sarr, disseminated on social networks and the media. These comments, likely to disrupt social cohesion, pushed the government to set the record straight regarding civil status procedures and to denounce accusations of widespread fraud.
The ministry recalls that, in accordance with article 43 of the Family Code, any birth or death of a foreigner occurring in Senegal must be declared to the civil registry. This approach aims to regularize these events on the national territory.
However, mere birth in Senegal does not automatically confer Senegalese nationality. Senegalese law clearly establishes that only individuals born to parents also born in Senegal can benefit from the right of soil.
According to official figures from the 2023 census, the foreign population represents 1.1% of residents in Senegal, contradicting the data put forward by Mr. Sarr.
Accusations of documented fraud put into context
The ministry also rejects accusations of selling civil status documents to foreigners. According to the authority, Senegalese civil status is strictly monitored by judicial authorities, in particular the presidents of the district courts and the public prosecutors, who regularly check the registers and issued documents.
Although isolated cases of documentary fraud exist, they represent a minority: 1.73% of documents processed for the establishment of national identity cards and 0.37% of birth certificates, says the ministry.
These frauds are the work of malicious individuals, and legal procedures make it possible to restore the rights of the real holders, specifies the Ministry of Urban Planning, Territorial Communities and Regional Planning.
To strengthen the reliability and accessibility of civil status, the government is implementing extensive digitalization. The National Civil Status Register (RNEC) now centralizes more than 20 million digitized documents, guaranteeing their security and authenticity.
The integrated system includes powerful management software deployed in 360 interconnected centers and used by more than 1,100 trained agents; advanced protection features, such as electronic signature and transaction traceability; and an online services platform, which will soon allow citizens to request their civil status documents quickly and securely.
The ministry emphasizes that Mr. Sarr’s statements, stigmatizing foreigners and disseminating inaccurate information, risk harming social peace.
He calls for restraint in public speeches and reassures citizens about the efforts made to secure their personal data and simplify access to their administrative documents.
ARD/ac/APA
