Cote d’Ivoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, two civil wars have been fought over questions of national identity and nationality in relation to the bureaucratic recognition of Muslim migrant-descended citizens. A xenophobic and nationalist conception of Ivoirité has been used to affirm the legitimacy of a common cultural identity of those living in the southeast. It has also been used to strip citizenship from descendants of migrants from Muslim countries who came in the 20th century. In 2019, the CRC recommended that Cote d’Ivoire ensure that birth registration measures are applicable to children whose parents fled Cote d’Ivoire during its military and political crises, including the post-election crisis of 2010/2011, and those who were born outside of Cote d’Ivoire. The recommendations didn’t mention whether these births should be registered as nationals or foreigners.