Hundreds of thousands of people in Côte d’Ivoire are unable to obtain Ivoirian nationality despite living there permanently – in some cases for many generations. Stateless people are mainly former refugees and stranded migrants from Liberia who have been unsuccessful in their attempts to claim Liberian citizenship.
Why are they stateless?
The nationality law in Côte d’Ivoire grants citizenship purely on the basis of descent and does not include safeguards against statelessness.
How does it affect them?
Statelessness brings challenges in terms of political stability, human security, and the respect for human rights and the rule of law. All of these also impact economic development and prosperity.
Further reading: Statelessness and Nationality in Côte d’Ivoire – A Study for UNHCR, 2016
Photo taken from the UNHCR report.