Final stage of UN-organized repatriation from Senegal to Mauritania begins

The last phase of a two-decade-long United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) scheme to voluntarily repatriate Mauritanian refugees in Senegal back to their own country kicked off this week.

The last phase of a two-decade-long United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) scheme to voluntarily repatriate Mauritanian refugees in Senegal back to their own country kicked off this week.

By the end of December, up to 7,000 refugees are expected to return to Mauritania, wrapping up an organized repatriation programme that began in 1989.

This year’s returns, which started in January, were suspended between 20 July and 19 October because of the rainy season. Prior to this week’s resumption, over 14,000 refugees had returned from Senegal.

In 2007, Mauritanian authorities issued a call for their citizens to come home, two decades after they fled to neighbouring Senegal to escape fighting between Negro-African and Moorish communities, according to UNCHR.

“Strong support is needed for them to rebuild their lives,” said UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic.

The agency and its partners are helping to reintegrate the returnees by allocating farm land, providing Arabic and French language classes, conducting medical screenings, supplying water and distributing farming supplies, among others.

“More challenges must still be addressed before returnees enjoy the same conditions as other Mauritanian citizens, including deficiencies in health, education, water and food security,” Mr. Mahecic pointed out.

In addition to Mauritanian refugees in Senegal, a recent census found that 8,000 out of 12,000 Mauritanian refugees in Mali have also expressed their desire to possibly return to their home country.