SITUATION OVERVIEW
The internal conflict affecting northern, central, and southern Mali has intensified, leading to the increased displacement of civilians into Mauritania. As of 30 September, more than 272,000 refugees and returnees had entered the country. The Hodh El Chargui region of Mauritania is currently hosting the largest number of Malian refugees, most of whom are arriving from the Timbuktu, Segou, and Koulikoro regions of Mali.
Displaced people arriving in Mauritania continue to report cases of indiscriminate violence by armed actors, citing incidents of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), abduction torture, extortion, and family separation. At least 80 per cent of new arrivals2 are women and children, many of whom who have suffered from violence in many cases.
With only 50 per cent being registered as refugees, and about 152,000 living outside of formal camps, access to basic services such as water, shelter, sanitation, food, health, protection, and education for children is extremely limited.
Inadequate sanitation and unhygienic conditions, and insufficient and unsafe water sources are exposing people arriving in Mauritania, particularly children, to poor hygiene and creating ideal conditions for malnutrition and disease outbreaks. Most of the displaced populations arrive from protracted food insecure locations and lack of health and immunisation services. Measles and diphtheria outbreaks have recently occurred in the Hodh El Chargui region and could resurge in the absence of adequate health services, surveillance, and health promotion.
More than 50 per cent of the displaced are pastoralists who fled with approximately 1.7 million head of livestock. The rapid influx of people and livestock in the Hodh El Chargui region is putting pressure on local sources of water and grazing land, in an area already exposed to extreme climatic conditions and accelerated desertification.
Even before the arrival of refugees, the local population faced challenges in meeting minimum food requirements, accessing safe water and feeding their livestock. If not rapidly addressed, the situation could threaten the basic standards of living of some 189,000 people in host communities and could further exacerbate tensions between Malian and Mauritanian communities and authorities.
The number of displaced people currently seeking a safe haven in Mauritania exceeds the worst-case scenario projected at the beginning of the year, and while fighting continues relentlessly in Mali, cross-border movements will persist.
Humanitarian organisations on the ground, including the Mauritanian Red Crescent Society (MRCS), are at the front-line of assisting the most vulnerable in the departments of Bassikounou and Adel Bagrou. However, the scarcity of financial resources and challenging supply chains are hindering the delivery of adequate humanitarian services in the area and preventing assistance from reaching the large numbers of people in need.
The governorate (wilaya) of Hodh El Chargui and the various departmental authorities (Moughataa) of Bassikounou, Nema, Amourj, and Adel Bagrou have expressed their desire to the IFRC and MRCS for the Red Crescent to fully assume its role as auxiliary to the public authorities and intensify its support, as was the case during the refugee influxes and the occurrence of disasters, particularly floods, droughts, and bushfires.
The significant damage resulting from the severe flooding which has affected multiple regions in Mali over the past months may contribute to the increased population movement towards Mauritania.
According to the latest estimates, 149,000 people have been displaced by the flooding which has destroyed or damaged homes, farmlands. and other livelihoods in Mali, and part of this population may seek refuge in Mauritania.