Mauritania: Thousands of Mauritanians flee Mali’s war zones return home

Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates that more than 31,000 Mauritanians have returned to Mauritania due to insecurity and incidents taken along the border with Mali. The statistics were collected between June 4 and July 2, 2024, in the Hodh Charghi region of Mauritania.

The returnees are expected to increase the populations of communities in Bassikounou, Dhar, Megve, Vassala, and Adel Baghrou, adding strain to these already resource-limited localities. The returning population originates from Timbuktu, Ségou, and Kayes in Mali.

The displacement is partly attributed to recent violent incidents involving the death of individuals, reportedly caused by Wagner mercenaries assisting the Malian Armed Forces (Fama), amidst renewed hostilities between Bamako authorities and Tuareg organizations in Azawad.