Malian refugees in Mauritania: hopes for home amid escalating conflict

Mosso*, a Malian refugee in Mauritania, articulates a fervent desire to return home, a hope kindled by recent large-scale attacks on the Malian army and its Russian allies from Africa Corps. “If the Russian mercenaries leave, we will go home,” he declared. These coordinated assaults, launched in late April by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) separatists and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jnim, an Al-Qaeda affiliate), delivered an unprecedented blow to Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in a 2020 coup. The attacks tragically resulted in the death of the Defense Minister.

In Fassala, a Mauritanian locality bordering Mali, the actions of Russian paramilitaries have left a deep and painful memory for many refugees. Here, they are still commonly referred to as “Wagner,” referencing the private Russian military company – now known as Africa Corps – which supports the Malian army in its counter-jihadist efforts following the departure of French forces.

“Goïta brought Wagner here”

Under the scorching Sahelian desert sun, Mosso, a 57-year-old nomadic Tuareg herder with a long white beard, shelters in a makeshift tent. He expresses his wish for the “fall of (Assimi) Goïta,” the head of the Malian junta, asserting, “because he is the one who brought Wagner to our home.” Mosso fled the Mopti region in central Mali three weeks ago after white men, whom he identified as Russian paramilitaries, arrived at his encampment and abducted several men. A year ago, his own brother was killed by these Russians, witnessed by his then 14-year-old son.

Across Mali, numerous civilians, often accused of collaborating with opposing factions, frequently endure reprisals and abuses from the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries, or from jihadist groups. On April 20, three civil society organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), lodged a complaint with the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) regarding alleged violations committed in Mali involving both the Malian armed forces and the Wagner group.

Reports of a Russian convoy departing Kidal, a strategically vital city in northern Mali that fell under Tuareg rebel control in late April, have sparked cautious optimism among many refugees that these paramilitaries might soon leave their homeland. Like Mosso, approximately 300,000 Malians have sought refuge in Mauritania’s Hodh Chargui region since the conflict began in 2012.

The FLA and Jnim alliance questioned

Roughly fifty kilometers from the border, the Mbera camp currently hosts 120,000 refugees who have escaped the widespread violence perpetrated by all belligerents: jihadists, the Malian army, Russian mercenaries, and various communal groups. Within the camp’s sandy pathways, Ahmed*, 35, voices his yearning for “the return of peace and to go back to my country.” He also hopes for the downfall of the military rulers, who, he believes, “brought all the problems to the country.” This Tuareg refugee states, “It’s because of Wagner that everyone came here,” explaining his flight from the “amalgamation” made by the Malian army and their Russian partners.

With a kind gaze and a face weathered by the sun, Abdallah*, a 77-year-old Tuareg refugee, does not share in the jubilation over the recent rebel offensive. “I am far from happy that the FLA has retaken Kidal,” he murmured. He views the alliance between the FLA and the jihadists as a grave error: “For me, Jnim is a terrorist movement. Their objectives do not at all align with our ideology as moderate, pacifist Muslims.”

Since last October, blockades imposed by Jnim jihadists on several Malian localities have triggered a new wave of refugees into the region, totaling nearly 14,000 individuals, predominantly women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Concerns of a new refugee influx

The recent intensification of hostilities in Mali has raised fears among humanitarian organizations of a fresh surge of refugees into this arid region, where access to vital resources is already strained. Omar Doukali, spokesperson for UNHCR in Mauritania, emphasized, “We are closely monitoring the evolving situation with profound concern.”

In the Sahel, which has become a global epicenter of jihadist violence, Mauritania stands out for its remarkable stability, despite being a vast desert nation of 5.5 million inhabitants. However, the presence of over 300,000 Malian refugees creates significant pressure “on pastures, water resources, and all basic services, including healthcare,” noted Cheikhna Ould Abdallahi, Mayor of Fassala. His commune alone hosts 70,000 refugees, and he expressed deep worry about the escalating combat in neighboring Mali.

The situation remains highly uncertain. The FLA has declared its intention to capture major cities in northern Mali and predicts the downfall of the ruling junta in the face of its offensive. Tilleli*, a 22-year-old mother, holding her one-year-old daughter, recounted her escape from Mali a month ago when Russian forces and the army looted and burned her village in the Mopti region (center). “I can only return home after Wagner leaves my country,” she affirmed. The young mother sighed, “I don’t have hope that peace will come anytime soon.”