Minority Karanas in Madagascar lead clandestine lives with no citizenship
Published: 8/Aug/2023
Source: El Pais (Madrid)
By Lola Hierro
Mahmud Hashimi stirs his cup of coffee as he sits on a spotless sofa in the lobby of the exclusive Carlton hotel in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. A casual onlooker would have no reason to think this 38-year-old man with a nervous look shouldn’t be in this luxurious five-star hotel. But it’s not his natural environment. Hashimi (who prefers not to tell us his real name) cannot afford the $122 (€111) for a room here because he’s barely making ends meet. Even if he had extra money, he wouldn’t be allowed to register because he doesn’t have a passport or an ID card. Hashimi is stateless — a citizen of no country. Being stateless is the inability to vote, access public services, obtain employment contracts or open a bank account.
Read the article: https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-08-08/minority-karanas-in-madagascar-lead-clandestine-lives-with-no-citizenship.html