Liberia Immigration Service Begins Nationwide Registration of Burkinabè Nationals

The Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), under the leadership of Commissioner General Col. Elijah F. Rufus, has launched a nationwide registration exercise aimed at identifying and documenting Burkinabè nationals residing in Liberia.

The move comes amid growing concerns over the increasing number of Burkinabè citizens living in the country without proper immigration documentation. 

Reports suggest that hundreds of thousands of Burkinabè are currently residing in Liberia illegally, having entered the country without going through LIS formalities.

In response, LIS authorities have initiated a comprehensive registration campaign to determine the actual number of Burkinabè nationals in Liberia and encourage compliance with immigration regulations.

According to information from the LIS, the first phase of the registration began in southwestern Liberia, where large numbers of Burkinabè have reportedly turned out to participate in the process.

The phase one operation is covering five counties: Grand Gedeh, Maryland, River Gee, Nimba, and Bong. Local authorities in each of these counties confirm the presence of thousands of undocumented Burkinabè residing in their communities.

Though the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement allows citizens of member states to travel and reside within the region, the LIS clarified that the registration drive is intended to ensure that foreign nationals within Liberia regularize their stay in accordance with national immigration policies and international best practices.

LIS officials say the initiative is not aimed at targeting or deporting Burkinabè citizens, but rather at bringing order and accountability to immigration systems, while fostering peaceful coexistence.

Since the start of the exercise, many Liberians in the affected counties have praised the LIS for taking steps to better monitor and manage the presence of foreign nationals.

The LIS has not yet announced when the second phase of the nationwide registration will begin, but officials indicated that more counties will be included as the process expands in the coming weeks.