North Africa

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Algeria

Algeria became a state party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in 1963 and acceded to its 1967 Protocol in 1967 (hereinafter jointly referred to as the 1951 Convention). Algeria has also acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons in 1964 but is not a party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In 2005 Algeria changed its rules to make it easier for women to give their children nationality at birth, a reform that protects children from being stateless. Algeria is the only country in the region with strict gender equality laws that protect women’s right to confer nationality on their children and non-citizen spouses.

 

Egypt

Egypt is home to many stateless groups, including the Palestinians, nomadic communities, and refugees who migrated because of conflicts in Syria, Eritrea, and other areas. Complicated birth registry procedures, confusing registration and residency cards for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and a lack of access to identity papers and permits for legal residence are all obstacles to refugees obtaining nationality.

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Libya

Libya is a signatory to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Yet, the country still does not allow women married to foreign nationals to pass their nationality to their children. In certain circumstances, they do permit women to confer their nationality on their children born in the territory, for example where fathers are unknown, stateless, of unknown nationality or do not establish filiation. The number of stateless individuals in the country remains unknown.

 

Morocco

Morocco has not ratified the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (the 1954 Convention), nor the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (the 1961 Convention).

In 2007 Morocco reformed their laws to enhance the ability of women to confer nationality to their children at birth—a measure that offers children vital protection against statelessness. Saying this, the country has withdrawn its reservations to Article 9 of the CEDAW, which requires the Member States to allow equal rights for women to transfer their nationality to their children. With this, Moroccan women have been able to automatically transfer their nationality to their children, irrespective of the nationality of the father.

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Tunisia

Tunisia ratified the 1954 and 1961 Conventions related to statelessness. Since 2010, Tunisia reformed its laws to enhance the ability of women to confer nationality to their children at birth—a measure that offers children vital protection against statelessness. Tunisia also permits women to confer nationality on spouses, though the requirements slightly differ for female and male citizens to confer nationality on a noncitizen spouse.

 

Mauritania

There are no exact figures for the number of stateless people in Mauritania but in 2014, it has been estimated that there are likely to be around 30,00 or so Black Mauritanians living in exile who are stateless refugees.

Mauritania has international obligations towards stateless persons even if it is not a signatory of the 1954 and 1961 conventions related to statelessness. The Haratines and black Mauritanians are denied the right to nationality which results in statelessness and human rights challenges. Over 60,000 ‘Black Mauritanians’ were arbitrarily denationalized following a conflict in 1989, leaving them stateless, and simultaneously expelled from the country. Also, the Haratine, black African communities of slaves or former slaves, face persistent discrimination and lacks access to citizenship. On the other hand, national mothers in Mauritania can confer nationality to their children when the father is unknown or stateless. Children born in Mauritania to Mauritanian mothers and foreign fathers can also obtain Mauritian citizenship; but, at the age of majority, these children can renounce their citizenship, leaving them stateless. Children born abroad to Mauritanian mothers and foreign fathers have one year before achieving majority to choose Mauritanian citizenship.