Statelessness in Southern Africa: time to end it, not promote it

Restricting nationality as a deterrent or punitive measure is not an effective strategy for managing migration.

Statelessness in Southern Africa is driven primarily by colonial history, border changes, migration, poor civil registry systems, and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity and religion. There are concerning signs that states are using statelessness as a tool for managing migration. To the benefit of all involved, governments must act against statelessness instead of promoting it.

About the author

Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo is a Senior Research Consultant at the Institute for Security Studies. She works on migration and related issues, researching and implementing responses in high-flow regions including Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Her expertise focuses on understanding migration drivers and behaviour, particularly in high-risk and fragile environments.

Picture: Kristy Siegfried/IRIN