Author Archives for Bronwen Manby

Abidjan Declaration of Ministers of ECOWAS Member States on the Eradication of Statelessness

February 23, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Abidjan Declaration of Ministers of ECOWAS Member States on the Eradication of Statelessness

We, the Ministers and Designated Representative of ECOWAS Member States, assembled in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on 25 February 2015, for the first Ministerial Conference on Statelessness in ECOWAS Member States, facilitated by UNHCR and ECOWAS from 23-25 February 2015, in […]


UNHCR brochure on statelessness in West Africa

February 23, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on UNHCR brochure on statelessness in West Africa

Nationality is a legal bond between a state and an individual, and statelessness refers to the condition of an individual who is not considered as a national by any State. Everyone has the right to a nationality and the right […]


Background note on statelessness in West Africa

February 23, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Background note on statelessness in West Africa

Statelessness refers to the condition of an individual who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law.Although stateless people may sometimes also be refugees, the two categories are distinct in international law. Statelessness […]


Nigeria: We, the people

February 23, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Nigeria: We, the people

Editorial As dates go, 10 November 2012 may not have a place in our political history, but it was the day the House of Representatives held simultaneous peoples’ public sessions in Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies – they all started at […]


The card aiming to end Nigeria’s fraud problem

February 23, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on The card aiming to end Nigeria’s fraud problem

Nigeria has a bad reputation when it comes to fraud. “Dear Friend” emails originating from the country – also known as 419 scams – are among the most notorious in the world, with statistics from Ultrascan AGI suggesting losses from […]


Human rights group looks to help those with no state and no future

February 23, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Human rights group looks to help those with no state and no future

“The back of a police van is the only place that feels like home.” This is the plight of a young man, Singejeje Adel, who has no family and no country that regards him as theirs. He is stateless. Adel, […]


Government officials join global campaign to end statelessness

February 21, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Government officials join global campaign to end statelessness

Liberian government officials, along with the leaders of various civil society organizations, religious and youth groups have joined together in support of UNHCR’s global campaign against statelessness. “Statelessness is simply a malaise facing mankind which all states must commit to […]


Grappling with identity: In the footsteps of Africa’s ‘nowhere and everywhere children’

February 21, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Grappling with identity: In the footsteps of Africa’s ‘nowhere and everywhere children’

In 2007, when Allan-Roy Sekeitto won the opportunity to participate in a continental reality television show, Imagine Africa, its organisers profiled him as a representative of two countries; South Africa and Uganda. He was born in neither. Sekeitto, now 28, […]


CRC Concluding Observations: Gambia, 2015

February 20, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on CRC Concluding Observations: Gambia, 2015

CRC/C/GMB/CO/2-3 Concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic reports of the Gambia Birth registration/name and nationality 35. While welcoming the progress made in birth registration, the Committee remains concerned about: (a) The huge number of children who are […]


Kenya: We will deport you, Makonde told

February 19, 2015 12:00 am Published by Comments Off on Kenya: We will deport you, Makonde told

Makonde and Pemba people from Mozambique and Tanzania who do not want to become Kenyans will be sent back to their countries of origin. The warning was made on Thursday by Msambweni Sub-County Commissioner Mwangangi Mwania, following reports that some […]