Senegal

West and Central Africa

Senegal

UNHCR works in Senegal to advance durable solutions for refugees and asylum-seekers, with a particular focus on local integration and naturalization for Mauritanian refugees in protracted displacement.

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Senegal. Refugees participated in the 2022 Biennale of African Art in Dakar jointly with Swiss artists and a local art association.

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Key statistics

13,080

people are identified by UNHCR and partners as forcibly displaced in the country by the end of 2024

11,847

people are identified by the Government as registered refugees the country, by the end of 2024

$14.5 million

are needed this year to ensure operations covered by the Senegal multi-country office* are sustained

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*UNHCR’s operations in Senegal are managed by the Senegal multi-country office, which also oversees operations in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde, with needs budgeted jointly.

In 2024, UNHCR's operation in Senegal focused on advancing durable solutions for refugees and asylum-seekers, particularly for Mauritanian refugees who have been in protracted displacement.

While the overall number of forcibly displaced people in Senegal slightly increased due to new asylum registrations, local integration remained the primary solution pursued. In close collaboration with local authorities, UNHCR continued implementing a one-stop shop initiative to expedite the naturalization process for Mauritanian refugees. Although the pace of naturalizations slowed - partly due to institutional changes during the presidential and legislative elections - 94 individuals were granted nationality in 2024, building on progress from previous years.

Notably, the Senegalese authorities agreed to process applications without requiring physical presence, which significantly improved the efficiency of case management. Despite resource constraints and limited physical presence outside Dakar, UNHCR maintained support for asylum procedures, registration, and legal documentation, while preparing to expand its route-based approach to better address displacement dynamics across the region in 2025.