Mauritania hosts over 2,500 urban refugees and asylum- seekers and more than 57,000 Malian refugees in and around Mbera camp. Despite the conclusion of a peace agreement in 2015, large-scale returns of Malian refugees are not expected due to the persistent violence in northern, which has also been spreading to central Mali. In April alone, almost 1,000 refugees were registered in Mbera camp, including people who had been in Mauritania for a while and had not approached UNHCR before. Furthermore, UNHCR registered 70 new arrivals in the the urban areas of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. Pending the adoption of the asylum law, UNHCR works closely with the Mauritanian authorities to enhance the protection of refugees in Mauritania improving access to documentation and birth registration. In response, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been enhancing collaboration with development actors to bridge the current gap between humanitarian and development efforts and ensure that refugees - in particular, extremely vulnerable ones - are not left behind ensuring economic opportunities, and access basic services such as health and education. UNHCR works under the umbrella of the United Nations Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (CPDD).

KEY INDICATORS

3,120 Newly registered from Mali since January 2019

2,086 Voluntary returns to Mali facilitated in 2019

4,610 Malian refugees with specific needs (as of 30 April 2019)

FUNDING (AS OF 15 MAY)

USD 19.3 M 3.6 M received. 15.6 M requested for the UNHCR operation in Mauritania