The Central Africa region recognised by the African Union is formed of nine countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
These nine countries also form the core of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), joined by Angola and Rwanda. ECCAS has adopted a protocol on freedom of movement, but its implementation is not as far advanced that of ECOWAS and the East African Community.
More relevant for questions related to respect for the right to a nationality in the region may be the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), which also includes Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Zambia (but not Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, or São Tomé and Príncipe) as signatories to the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region, its founding document.
The ICGLR was formed in response to the multiple crises and refugee flows generated by the war in the DRC – a war that was at least in part generated by conflicts over nationality, over the right of persons who speak Kinyarwanda to be Congolese. Among those affected, some are descendants from people who have always been resident in what is now the DRC, some from people brought as forced labourers by the Belgians, some from refugees who fled Rwanda in 1959, and others are more recent migrants. Its nationality law has been repeatedly amended since 1960 to create different levels of inclusion for Kinyarwanda speakers, and still discriminates on the basis of ethnicity. As a consequence, the DRC has one of the largest populations of people at risk of statelessness – although, thanks to weaknesses of state administration in general, it is impossible to say how many.
The countries of the Central Africa region share a civil law heritage in terms of their nationality laws (though with variations bequeathed by the different traditions of France, Belgium, Portugal and Spain).
On December 23, 2024, Cameroon’s National Assembly passed Law No. 2024/016, granting legal recognition to customary marriages. This reform aims to integrate traditional practices into Cameroon’s formal legal framework, enhance protection for couples married according to local customs, and address […]
Download: https://prc.cm/fr/multimedia/documents/10257-loi-n-2024-016-du-23-12-2024-web
By Ayang MacDonald The government of Cameroon has brought two bills to parliament which are vital for the country’s digital transformation journey. They are a bill that introduces a new civil registration dispensation in the country with several novelties, as […]
Foreword Ending statelessness within 10 years. That was the ambition when we launched the #IBelong campaign in 2014. By raising awareness and mobilizing global support around that ambition, we aimed to address a largely invisible crisis: that of millions of […]
By NGALA KILLIAN CHIMTOM MAYOS, Cameroon (AP) — The morning sun filtered through the forest canopy, casting dappled light on this village in Cameroon. For the Baka Indigenous community, it was a timeless image. But a passing truck broke the […]
by Chris Burt The Democratic Republic of Congo has cancelled a $697 million contract to set up a biometric national identity system and deliver ID cards. The contract is held by Afritech, with Idemia as a technology supplier. The price […]
By Ayang Macdonald After more than a decade of waiting, Gabonese will now be able to apply for and obtain a national digital ID card. The identity credential, known officially as the National Electronic Identity Card (CNIE), was launched last […]
By Ayang Macdonald A mega money contract for the production of biometric national ID cards in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is facing the risk of being revoked following allegations of irregularities. The contract, worth $697 million, is […]
Proposal could extend legal identity to tens of thousands By Ayang Macdonald The Parliament of Cameroon is examining a bill that will allow the country to accede to two United Nations Conventions relating to the recognition of stateless persons. If […]
Three-country investigation shows digital IDs in Africa failing to deliver promised democratic and development boost, while making fortunes for tech vendors Some of the world’s poorest countries have been investing heavily in digital ID systems which it is claimed will […]
Par Chérif Ousman MBARDOUNKA La carte d’identité est un document essentiel pour prouver son identité et sa nationalité dans une variété de situations officielles et quotidiennes. Elle est émise par le gouvernement et contient des informations personnelles importantes sur son […]
Selected extracts relevant to Africa: Highlights The Republic of Congo officially joined the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions, fulfilling a commitment made at the 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness. Sao Tome and Principe’s President signed a decree for the country’s […]