Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Removes Three Senior Leaders
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has removed three senior leaders of the Immigration and Citizenship Service, including the deputy director, Fraol Tafa, and Tamru Gembato. The resignations come amid complaints from citizens who have been struggling to get new passports or renew their existing ones.
Selamawit Dawit has been appointed as the new director general of the Immigration and Citizenship Service. Seifit was previously the minister of state for culture and tourism, and she has also served as the head of the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency. She takes over the helm of the Immigration and Citizenship Service at a time when the service is facing a number of challenges, including the shortage of passports and the backlog of applications. Seifit has said that she is committed to addressing these challenges and improving the service provided to citizens.
Citizens Struggle to Get Passports
One complainant, who asked not to be named, said that she has been trying to get a passport since last December, but she has been repeatedly told to come back later. “Some of my friends paid money and took it in a short period of time,” she said. “I don’t have the money to pay, so I haven’t got the passport yet.” Another complainant said that she wanted to send her son to her relatives abroad to be educated, but she could not do so due to the delay in the passport. “I applied for a passport for my daughter to go abroad in June and start in August, but I was told to come back in September,” she said.
Immigration and Nationality Service Issues Passports Only to Urgent Cases
The Immigration and Nationality Service has said that it is currently issuing passports only to those who go abroad for medical treatment, to those who have received scholarship opportunities, to those who have won the DV Lottery, and to employees and leaders who are going abroad for government service. The service has said that it is facing a shortage of passports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced the demand for passport printing.
