Africa Citizenship and Discrimination Preparatory Meeting Issues Report

The Africa Citizenship and Discrimination Preparatory Meeting, held on July 19-20, 2004, in Dakar, Senegal, issued a report on citizenship laws. The meeting brought together activists from 11 African countries to launch a two-year review of citizenship laws and practice on the continent.

Nongovernmental organization representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe identified trends in citizenship-related discrimination throughout Africa, highlighting the human rights implications of citizenship deprivation. In the course of the meeting, a template for mapping citizenship issues was negotiated. As part of the audit, national-level partners will compile testimonials from victims of discrimination, as well as legislation, regulations, and evidence of discriminatory state policies.