Today, the country hosts around 288,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with 162,000 formally registered with UNHCR and the Mauritanian civil registry (ANRPTS), including 28,000 Malian refugees registered in hosting villages in Hodh Chargui (of the 154,000 estimated refugees), and 116,000 Malian refugees in Mbera camp.Since the beginning of the influx in January 2023, UNHCR estimates that 170,000 Malians sought safety in Hodh Chargui region.

At the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2023, the Government of Mauritania (GoM) reiterated its 2019 pledges (to enact an asylum law, facilitate refugees’ access to documentation, healthcare and employment on par with nationals) and further committed to include refugees in national social protection and education systems, as well as to transform Mbera camp into an integrated and sustainable human settlement, providing a unique opportunity for sustainable responses.

The Government of Germany has pledge-matched the GoM’s pledge on social protection.