Mauritania: Malian refugee numbers up 750 percent

Since late January, some 57,000 Malians have entered the Mbera refugee camp in Mauritania. Refugee numbers are steadily increasing, from 200 arrivals on 5th April to 1,500 a day. In response to this massive influx, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is bolstering its activities and emergency medical aid in this desert area, where access to medical care is extremely limited. Fighting between the Malian army, Tuareg movement and other armed groups is forcing thousands of people to flee to Fassala, Mauritania, three kilometres from the Malian border. Tuareg refugees “The presence of armed groups and political uncertainty in Mali is generating fear and panic among the people,” stated Elisabetta Maria Faga, MSF field coordinator. Refugees are primarily Tuareg families from the Timbuktu region. “They arrive here exhausted after a two-day journey by truck.” In the Mbera camp, in the heart of the Sahel region and a six-hour drive from the nearest reference hospital in Nema, MSF is providing primary and maternal healthcare to refugees and caring for malnourished children. Maintaining health posts MSF is also helping local populations by maintaining health posts in the region. “A great number of people are suffering from respiratory infections and diarrhoea due to a lack of access to water, exposure to extreme temperatures and frequent sand storms,” stated Jean-Paul Jemmy, MSF medical coordinator. Humanitarian response As the number of refugees increases, so does the pressure for humanitarian response to improve living conditions within the camp. There are currently 100 communal latrines for 57,000 refugees and just nine litres of water per person, per day. These conditions are below humanitarian standards, which call for 20 litres of water per person, per day, and one latrine per 20 people. “We are still expecting several thousand refugees in the coming weeks. With this constant influx of refugees, we have to act quickly and efficiently to provide emergency services; we must provide sufficient shelter, water and sanitary facilities and reinforce overall emergency medical assistance,” said Jean-Paul Jemmy.