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Content and motivation
This policy brief aims to provide a better understanding of the socio-economic profile of recently arrived Malian refugees (since 2023) living in Mauritania to support the Government of Mauritania's plan to include refugees more broadly into national services. This brief explains the context and goals of generating a socio-economic profile for this population, describes the types and sources of data included, and the methods used. It then draws on the data to develop a socio-economic profile of the newly arrived Malian refugees, considering basic demographic variables, household composition and timing of displacement, living conditions, and assets, with a particular focus on livestock given its importance in the regional economy.
Neighbouring countries bear most of the responsibility of hosting displaced populations and the wider socio-economic consequences of conflict and violence in their region. Of the three possible durable solutions for forced displacement (voluntary repatriation, third-country resettlement, and local integration into the hosting country), the de facto outcome for most displaced populations has been some degree of local integration in host countries, often in response to protracted displacement situations. This presents a triple challenge for hosting countries: an immediate humanitarian response, which eventually transitions to development and integration policies, ultimately including liberalization of refugee policy regimes in some contexts.
Mauritania has a generous open-door policy towards refugees and asylum-seekers, hosting Malian refugees since 2012. As of the end of July 2024, UNHCR estimates that Mauritania hosts approximately 233,240 Malian refugees and asylum seekers across urban and rural areas. At the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), Mauritania pledged to allow refugees access to the labour market, to include them in the national health system, and to improve documentation coverage. In the 2023 GRF, Mauritania renewed these pledges and additionally pledged to develop a new asylum law, provide refugees access to social protection services on par with nationals, and include them in the national education system. The country also committed to transforming Mbera refugee camp into a sustainable human settlement. At present, Mauritania receives World Bank (WB) funding to support refugee inclusion in health, water and sanitation, social protection, and local development services., However, due to a difficult economic and social context, especially among host populations, the continuing and increasing influx of refugees is raising interest from host community for a durable solution to end displacement of Malian refugees.