Mauritania

With its decades-old open-door policy, Mauritania hosts over 139,000 registered Malian refugees in the arid southeast Hodh Chargui region where the Mbera camp is located. At the same time, more than 17,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers, comprising 30 different nationalities, live in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. With the volatile security situation in Mali, largescale returns are not expected. A large-scale influx continues into 2023 and 2024, with over 110,000 new arrivals estimated since January 2024.

At the government’s request and through the Refugee Coordination Forum, UNHCR coordinates an interagency humanitarian response with national and local authorities in the refugee-hosting Hodh Chargui region.

UNHCR’s strategy in Mauritania is to ensure refugees access adequate protection and assistance and, at the same time, are progressively included in national services and systems. UNHCR also engages directly with refugee and host communities to strengthen their decision-making, participation and self-reliance within the broader pursuit of durable solutions.

Additional information

For information about our work in Mauritania: