6.
7.
8.
9.
5.1.2. Intended beneficiaries of the integrationist policies in place at independence ........... 45
5.1.3. The case of those naturalized by collective decree in 1995 and their descendants ..... 47
5.2. Children of unknown parents ................................................................................................ 48
5.3. Border populations ................................................................................................................ 50
5.4. Returnees, Ivorian refugee children born abroad, and internally displaced persons ........... 50
5.5. Contemporary migrants, including trafficked persons.......................................................... 52
5.6. Individuals refused Ivorian national and voter ID cards for the 2010 elections ................... 54
5.7. Constructive acquisition and/or arbitrary deprivation of Ivorian nationality? ..................... 56
5.8. Challenges in obtaining statelessness statistics .................................................................... 57
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 59
Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 61
7.1. To the Ivorian government .................................................................................................... 61
7.2. To UNHCR .............................................................................................................................. 62
7.3. To ECOWAS and ECOWAS Member States with nationals in Côte d’Ivoire .......................... 63
7.4. To international organizations, the diplomatic community, and donors in Côte d’Ivoire .... 63
7.5. To Ivorian civil society ........................................................................................................... 64
Annexes ......................................................................................................................................... 65
8.1. ANNEX I: Historical Evolution of Côte d’Ivoire’s Nationality Laws and Regulations ............. 65
8.2. ANNEX II: Special Naturalization Procedure Pursuant to Linas-Marcoussis (2004-2007) and
Special Acquisition of Nationality by Declaration Program (2014-2016) .............................. 68
8.3. ANNEX III: Evolution of Legal Framework on Identification of Ivorian Nationals and
Foreigners .............................................................................................................................. 74
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 78
9.1. Côte d’Ivoire Government and Legal Sources ....................................................................... 78
9.2. Other Government and Legal Sources .................................................................................. 80
9.3. Articles, Books, Manuscripts, Political Agreements, and Reports......................................... 81
Methodology and Acknowledgments
This report was researched and written by a consultant, Mirna Adjami. The author conducted six
weeks of field research in Côte d’Ivoire between June and August 2014. Due to resource limitations,
the author focused interviews in Abidjan and the city’s outskirts, but also visited central Côte d’Ivoire
(Daloa and environs), and western Côte d’Ivoire (Guiglo, Duékoué, Man, and surrounding areas).
The original report was written by the author in English, has been translated into French, and is
available in both languages. A draft of this report was shared with the Ministry of Justice and the
Service d’Aide et d’Assistance aux Réfugiés et Apatrides (SAARA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for
comment and the final version incorporates comments made by the Ministry of Justice, SAARA, the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other stakeholders and
has been updated with information received through December 2016. The author would particularly
like to thank Mr. Paul Koreki of the Ministry of Justice, UNHCR, and Bronwen Manby, all of whom
provided guidance and feedback throughout the development of this report, and acknowledge the
insights of all interviewed. This report may be quoted, cited, uploaded to other websites and copied,
provided that the source is acknowledged. The views expressed here are those of the author and do
not necessarily reflect the official position of UNHCR.
2