Stateless Minorities 15. Minority non-Arab ethnic groups in the southern border regions of Libya, such as the Tebu (also affected by a boundary change with Chad), have long been at risk of statelessness, struggling to obtain papers recognising them as Libyan. 16. Statelessness has been identified as a problem that affects certain minority populations in Libya, as a result of policies of ‘Arabisation’ implemented under the former regime of Moammar Gadhafi. Berber (Amazigh), Tuareg and Tebu are three communities for whom access to citizenship has been reported as problematic. The Carter Center reported in 2012 that the district court in Kufra ordered the removal of 1,085 voters (members of minority groups) from the electoral register because they were deemed inhabitants of Aouzou and lost their citizenship under a 1998 law.9 The magnitude of the problem is however not known. While no published information is available on statelessness among the Berber and Tuareg populations, there has been some limited reporting on the Tebu minority. In late 2012, a representative of the Tebu community in Libya was quoted as estimating the size of the Tebu minority to be 50,000, an unknown number of whom are affected by statelessness due to the aforementioned 1998 law.10 Recommendations 17. Based on the above information, the co-submitting organisations urge reviewing States to make the following recommendations to Libya: 9 I. Address discrimination against women in Law No. 24 from 2010 on the Libyan Nationality so that women can transfer their nationality to their children and foreign spouses, and acquire, change or retain their nationality, on an equal basis with men, in line with article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; II. Ensure that all members of minority communities have equal access to citizenship and do not face any discrimination in realising their right to a nationality. The Carter Center, Carter Center Congratulates Libyans for Holding Historic Elections, 9 July 2012. https://files.institutesi.org/worldsstateless.pdf 10 4