Malian refugees in Mauritania grapple with complex return prospects

“If the Russian mercenaries leave, we will go home.” This sentiment echoes among Malian refugees in Mauritania, where Mosso*, like many others, found sanctuary from the devastating conflict in his homeland. A glimmer of hope for repatriation emerged following significant attacks in late April against the Malian army and its Russian allies from Africa Corps. These coordinated assaults, executed by the Front de Libération de l’Azawad (FLA) separatists and the Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans (Jnim), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, dealt an unprecedented blow to Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in a 2020 coup. The violence tragically claimed the life of the Defense Minister.

In the Mauritanian locality of Fassala, situated near the Malian border, the actions of Russian paramilitaries have left a painful imprint on the memories of numerous refugees. Here, they are still commonly referred to as “Wagner,” recalling the private Russian military company – now known as “Africa Corps” – that has been supporting the Malian army in its counter-jihadist efforts since the departure of French forces.

“Goïta brought Wagner here”

Seated beneath a makeshift tent, seeking refuge from the scorching Sahelian desert heat, Mosso* voices his earnest desire for the “fall of (Assimi) Goïta,” the head of the Malian junta. “He is the one who brought Wagner to our land,” he asserts. This 57-year-old nomadic Tuareg herder, with his long white beard, fled the Mopti region in central Mali just three weeks ago after white men, whom he identified as Russian paramilitaries, arrived at his encampment and abducted several men. A year prior, his own brother was killed by these Russian forces right before the eyes of his then 14-year-old son, he recounts.

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

The images of a Russian convoy departing Kidal, a strategically vital city in northern Mali that fell under Tuareg rebel control in late April, have ignited a cautious spark of hope among many Malian refugees that the paramilitaries might finally withdraw from their country. 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

About fifty kilometers from the border, the Mbera camp currently shelters 120,000 refugees who have escaped the violence perpetrated by all sides of the conflict: jihadists, the Malian army, Russian mercenaries, and community groups. In the sandy pathways of the camp, Ahmed*, 35, “hopes for peace to return and to go back to his country.” He too expresses a desire for the downfall of the military rulers, who he believes “brought all the problems to the country.” “It’s because of Wagner that everyone came here,” affirms this Tuareg, who sought to escape the “conflation” made by the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries.

With an amiable gaze and skin weathered by the sun, Abdallah*, a 77-year-old Tuareg refugee, does not rejoice in the recent rebel offensive. “I am very far from being happy that the FLA has retaken Kidal,” he sighs. In his view, the alliance between the FLA and the jihadists is a grave error: “For me, the Jnim is a terrorist movement. Their objective does not align at all with our ideology as moderate, pacifist Muslims.”

Blockades imposed by Jnim jihadists on Malian localities since last October have triggered a fresh wave of refugee arrivals in the region, numbering nearly 14,000 individuals, predominantly women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Concerns over new refugee influx

The recent hostilities in Mali have raised fears among humanitarian organizations of a renewed influx of refugees into this desert region, where access to vital resources is already strained. “We are monitoring the evolving situation with keen attention and deep concern,” emphasizes Omar Doukali, UNHCR spokesperson in Mauritania.

In a Sahel region that has become a global epicenter of jihadist violence, Mauritania, a vast desert nation of 5.5 million inhabitants, stands out for its remarkable stability. However, the presence of over 300,000 Malian refugees creates tensions “over pastures, water resources, and all basic services, including health,” notes Cheikhna Ould Abdallahi, mayor of Fassala, whose commune hosts 70,000 refugees. He expresses deep worry about the intensifying combat in neighboring Mali.

The situation remains more uncertain than ever. The FLA has announced its intention to capture the major cities of northern Mali and predicts the downfall of the ruling junta in the face of its offensive. Holding her one-year-old granddaughter, Tilleli*, 22, recounts 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 the Wagner group leaves my country,” she asserts. “I don’t have hope that peace will come anytime soon,” the young mother murmurs.