Cameroon

Cameroon gained full sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula in 2013 after a territorial dispute with Nigeria. The residents of the peninsula mainly belong to the Oron nation which has closer ties to Nigeria. They had to choose between leaving, trading their Nigerian citizenship for Cameroonian, or remaining Nigerian and being treated as foreign nationals. Cameroon has blamed non-registration of children on long distances to registry offices, cumbersome processes, and high costs. A 2018 UPR stakeholder submission noted parents may choose not to register their children so they don’t become subject to the Cameroonian state. Another reason is to avoid taxation. Cameroon began taxing residents after the transfer of the peninsula, leading to violence between residents and tax collectors. In 2022, CERD recommended Cameroon strengthen efforts to address the administrative shortcomings of civil registry systems and ensure accessibility of registration and documents by providing them free of charge.