MADAGASCAR | The Karana The Karana minority in Madagascar has been present on the territory of this island nation for more than a century. They trace their origins to the western provinces of pre-partition India, particularly to an area that now comprises the Indian state of Gujarat and part of southeastern Pakistan. The most significant wave of migration from India to Madagascar took place in the latter half of the nineteenth century, when seafaring trade on the Indian Ocean became more competitive and many people from India settled in Madagascar, especially on the western coast. There is no reliable data concerning the exact number of Karana in Madagascar; while it’s popularly believed that this Indian-origin minority numbers some 20,000, the actual figure might be significantly higher. The vast majority of these people were born in Madagascar and have spent their entire lives on the island. Most live in urban areas, including the capital, Antananarivo, and the city of Mahajanga on the northwest coast. The fact that the Karana are predominantly Muslim has contributed to a perception of them as outsiders. “To go to university you had to do military service. Without nationality, I could not do military service. And so I’ve struggled my whole life without a proper education.” While exact figures are lacking, it is likely that a significant proportion of the Karana in Madagascar are stateless. This is primarily because Madagascar’s nationality law follows the principle of jus sanguinis (granting citizenship at birth to children who have at least one parent who possesses Malagasy nationality), and the Karana were 14 • UNHCR STATELESSNESS REPORT 2017 The Karana generally not given citizenship when Madagascar won independence from France in 1960 because they were not considered to be ethnically Malagasy. Virtually all the stateless Karana who met with UNHCR in 2017 reported having attempted to obtain Malagasy citizenship without success. Some retained lawyers to assist with the effort and continually requested citizenship over several decades without receiving any formal reply. An uncertain number of Karana have been able to obtain another nationality and resolve their statelessness that way. For example, several of those who met with UNHCR had obtained French citizenship as a result of a program that France has made available to certain residents of former French colonies. However, the Karana with French citizenship that UNHCR spoke to all remain permanent residents of Madagascar who consider Madagascar their home. Like stateless people the world over, stateless Karana in Madagascar are often unable to access formal education and opportunities for employment, leaving them with little hope of escaping a situation of extreme poverty. Ismael Ramjanali, a senior citizen who was stateless until he acquired French citizenship in 2017, explained that for his generation of men, “To go to university you had to do military service. Without nationality, I could not do military service. And so I’ve struggled my whole life without a proper education.” His mother, Sougrabay Ibrahim, who is 84 years old and still stateless, never attended school. She remembers going without food so that she could feed Ismael and his siblings. Although she managed to feed them most days, she couldn’t get them medical attention when they were ill. When people asked what was wrong with her children, she had to reply, “They are sick and I have no money to buy them medicine.” | MADAGASCAR “I am Muslim, but without nationality I have never been able to travel to Mecca.” Saguir Ramatoula, 56, Mahajanga, Madagascar. 2017 UNHCR STATELESSNESS REPORT • 15