In a sweeping crackdown, Mauritania’s government has intensified its deportation campaign against African migrants, leading to widespread fear and displacement. Since August 2023, migrants in areas like Nouadhibou, the country’s second-largest city, have faced aggressive police actions resulting in thousands being detained and expelled.
Among those affected is Omar, a 29-year-old bricklayer from rural Gambia. He arrived in Mauritania in March 2023, attracted by the prospect of better wages. After securing a job as a casual labourer, he was able to send money home to support his family. However, this changed abruptly when armed pick-up trucks from the National Guard began patrolling the city, targeting migrants. With no residence permit, Omar stopped working to avoid capture, confining himself to a small housing compound in the Ghiran neighborhood.
Escalating Fear and Confusion
In the following weeks, police raids became frequent and violent. Officers would break into homes, arresting migrants regardless of their legal status. Omar described a harrowing experience where he and friends evaded capture by fleeing across rooftops. Yet, without work and dwindling resources, they soon faced severe food shortages.
According to the Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH), approximately 1,200 migrants were deported in March 2023 alone, many of whom held valid residence permits. Although the Mauritanian government has not released official statistics on deportations, government spokesman Houssein Ould Medou stated that about 130,000 migrants entered Mauritania in 2022, but only 7,000 renewed their residence permits.
Despite the government’s claims of humane treatment during deportations, reports from migrants tell a different story. Mohamad Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine, the Interior Minister, affirmed in parliament that the government has the right to control foreign movement, insisting that deportees would have access to food, medical care, and their belongings. Yet, many migrants claim they were denied these basic rights during their detention.
Human Impact of Deportations
The situation has drawn parallels to previous deportation campaigns in 2009 and 2012, but this latest effort coincides with a €210 million ($248 million) migration deal between the European Union and Mauritania announced in February 2024. This agreement focuses on security and migration management, raising concerns about the EU’s role in facilitating Mauritania’s crackdown on migrants.
Many migrants, originally planning to stay in Mauritania to work and support their families, now see their aspirations dashed. An Ivorian construction worker, who requested anonymity, recounted being arrested multiple times within a week. Each time, he and others managed to pay bribes to secure their release, highlighting a troubling culture of extortion amid the crackdown.
Conditions in detention facilities have been described as dire. Youssouf, a 22-year-old Guinean, reported receiving only one meal a day, often consisting of bread and sardines. Access to basic sanitation was severely limited, with inmates forced to improvise under appalling conditions. Such experiences highlight the grim reality faced by many migrants caught in this cycle of violence and fear.
Women and children have not been exempt from the police raids. Mariam, a 31-year-old mother from Sierra Leone, was arrested while seeking medicine for her sick child. She described the holding facility as a “cattle shed,” where her daughters were given little to eat, and the guards treated them with indifference. Although she was eventually released after a bribe was paid, she chose to leave Mauritania for Senegal to reunite with her husband, who had been deported months earlier.
As deportations continue, many migrants find themselves stranded in a perilous limbo. Some, like Omar, who faced rejection at the Senegalese border due to their deportation status, resort to dangerous means to cross borders. They risk their lives and money to evade authorities and make their way back home.
For those like Omar, returning to Gambia carries its own challenges. Despite feeling relief from escaping the police in Mauritania, he now struggles to find work in an environment where opportunities are scarce. “The schools are opening, and my family is asking, ‘Where is the bag of rice?’” he lamented.
This situation raises critical questions about the treatment of migrants and the role of international partnerships in shaping national policies. As the Mauritanian government pursues a hardline stance on immigration, human rights groups and opposition voices within the country condemn the ongoing operations, which they describe as cruel and degrading.
As Omar reflects on his experience, he remains torn between the desire to return to a place where he found initial hope and the stark reality of his current circumstances. “If they stop deporting people, I’ll go back,” he said, a sentiment echoed by many who yearn for stability and the chance to provide for their families.
