• Crisis Severity ?
    2.1
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Impact ?
    1.8
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Humanitarian Conditions ?
    2.3
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Complexity ?
    2.0
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Access Constraints ?
    1.0
    No constraints
    Extreme constraints
See all indicators

Key figures

  • 85,000 People displaced [?]

Overview

19/01/2022

Regional instability and the volatile security situation in Mali continue to drive displacement into Mauritania. Over 79,600 Malian refugees and asylum seekers were registered in Mauritania as at the end of June 2021, including over 67,800 refugees living in and around Mbera camp (in the southeast of Mauritania) and over 4,800 refugees and asylum seekers in urban areas. About 7,000 Malian pre-registered asylum seekers (not documented yet by UNHCR) are currently in the country. ? 

Mbera camp continues to be highly dependent on the Government and external humanitarian assistance. Being a long-time established refugee camp since 2012, humanitarian organisations’ strategies for the refugee population are focused on both ensuring access to basic services as well as supporting empowering activities, durable solutions, and peaceful coexistence with the local community. Large-scale returns of Malian refugees are not expected given the persistence of violence in central and northern Mali. ?

Undocumented refugees, including pre-registered asylum seekers, are facing protection risks such as arrests or movement restrictions, as well as limited access to basic services. Humanitarian access is unpredictable in some areas of Mauritania because of COVID-19 measures, security concerns, and crackdowns on irregular movements. ? 

 

Latest Developments

22/06/2022

Mauritania hosts more than 85,000 refugees from Mali. Many have lived in Mauritania since 2012, but the number of refugees has sharply escalated since March, owing to increased violence and insecurity in Mali. Most refugees live in the Mbera refugee camp (Hodh el Chargui region), and return to Mali remains unlikely because of continued insecurity. Instead, refugees have been slowly integrating into the society, with the majority working in farming, agriculture, or fishing in Lake Mahmouda. They have been faced with consecutive periods of drought since at least 2019, lack of rain, and increasing temperatures that impact their livelihoods. About 85% of land in Mauritania is facing desertification, while more than 60% of refugee households report inadequate food consumption. Due to lack of funding and despite the impact of climate change, some UN organisations have had to significantly cut food assistance in Mauritania (among other countries ), which will result in increased poverty and food insecurity.?

Information gaps

19/01/2022

Very little information is available regarding the humanitarian conditions of Malian refugees in Mauritania. This is particularly the case for refugees residing outside of Mbera camp.