Night falls on Chinguetti. Placed in the heart of the Sahara, these vestiges of stone and clay recall the past greatness of trans-Saharan trade … and the peak of the Arab-Berber kingdoms which dominated the region. It was in a small terracotta cabin, without water or electricity, that Hama has taken up residence for a month. This nomad fled the civil war in Mali five years ago. Since then, he has been traveling the Mauritanian desert and has been trying to sell Tuareg art jewelry.
“My wife, my parents and my children are still at the M’Bera camp, on the other side of the country”says the young refugee. South of the Mauritanian desert, a few kilometers from the Malian border, the M’Bera refugee camp accommodates nearly 70,000 Malian refugees. Since the departure of the French army and the arrival of Africa Corps (ex-wagner), refugees have flocking even more.
“I made a cross on my country, even if I hope to come back to it one day”sighs Hama while pouring tea into a clay bowl. Regularly, the young father crosses the desert, often on a camel back, to visit his loved ones. “They have to eat there, they are protected, I prefer that they stay there. »» For him, “France is the dream of all Africans”but he refuses to abandon his family. As much as “The trip is dangerous”. The fact remains that Mauritania has become a starting hub for the Canaries. Traffickers of human beings make a fortune there.
600 kilometers from the desert dunes of Chinguetti, it is in the capital, Nouakchott, that we find Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauritanian. Under the gilding of the diplomatic academy, the Minister answers our questions around a big feast. “We are a country of 4 million inhabitants, and we welcome nearly 500,000 refugeeshe would like to recall, It is 20 % of our population! »» As in Europe, the migratory pressure that weighs on Mauritania is the cause of social tensions. “There is pressure on school, on hospitals. It is no different from what you live in France, yes, it happens that cohabitation does not always go well ”adds the minister.
New transit zone
In Mali, the situation does not improve. And if the military junta has suffered several defeats in the north of the country, the intensification of the actions of the Africa Corps militia exacerbates tensions. “It has been present since 2021 in the country. The influx of refugees have been multiplied by four. In a factual way, it has caused many atrocities and has not at all pacified the region ”assures Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, specifying however that Mali’s decision to call on the Russian militia is “Of a sovereign choice that we respect”.
Migratory pressure is the cause of social tensions
New migratory transit zone, Mauritania intensifies its cooperation with the European Union and Frontex, and more particularly with Spain, on the front line facing these arrivals. “We opt for firmness, while seeking to create economic perspectives for refugees. Let us not forget, Africans flee the continent because they see no future. It’s up to us to decide otherwise “concludes the minister.
