Mauritania Welcomes Hundreds of Thousands of Young Migrants from Sahel Countries

The Minister of Foreign ⁢Affairs, African Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad, Mohamed Salem Ould Marzouk, highlighted that Mauritania‌ hosts between 350,000 and 400,000 young migrants‌ from Sahel countries, equivalent to 10% of the total population.

Ould Marzouk emphasized the need for Mauritania to benefit from the approved mechanism during the opening ceremony of the conference of donors to support refugees in the Sahel Basin and Lake Chad, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Efforts⁤ in Receiving Refugees

Mauritania has made significant efforts ​in receiving refugees, with over 250,000 Malian refugees hosted in the Ambra camp, established in 2012 in⁤ Hodh El Sharqi province.

The camp‌ has reached its maximum carrying capacity,‌ relying mainly on limited internal resources,⁤ leading to overcrowding and ‍pushing new⁢ refugees to ‌other villages affected by climate change.

This situation creates major challenges, negatively affecting‍ peaceful coexistence and the⁢ provision of basic‌ necessities like​ water, sanitation, shelter, and food, where refugees are equal to​ host communities.

Commitment to ‌Integration and⁢ Sustainability

The government is ‍committed ​to integrating refugees into the national social ⁢protection and education ⁣systems, transforming⁢ the Ambra camp​ into an integrated and sustainable humanitarian organization.

Mauritania has also directed a significant proportion of its security forces’ resources to control the flow ⁢of refugees and migrants, affecting their ability to respond to other security challenges.