A BARREN HOMECOMING: THE REFUGEE SITUATION IN THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NOUAKCHOTT 000683 SIPDIS ACCRA FOR USAID E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2018 TAGS: PREF EAID ECON MR SUBJECT: A BARREN HOMECOMING: THE REFUGEE SITUATION IN THE SOUTH Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Living conditions of the approximately 5,000 Mauritanians who returned to their homeland in 2008 after ethnic-based fighting in the country,s 1989-1992 "Passif Humanitaire" remains sub-standard with little hope for improvement. Despite claims of the opposite by junta leaders -- the High State Council (HSC) -- the returnees have noted that outside of promises and the annual 30-day Ramadan-related price cuts and subsidies on basic food stuffs and gas, they have received little, if any, additional assistance from the HSC. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) From November 10-12, a three person US Embassy and USAID team, traveled to southern Mauritania and visited four returnee sites: (1) "PK3", three kilometers outside Rosso, Trarza region; (2) "Rosso Lycee", approximately four kilometers outside of Rosso, (Trarza region); (3) "N,Diawalde Seneketebe", approximately five kilometers off the main road (Brakna region); and (4) "Houdallaye" approximately five kilometers outside of Boghe (Brakna region). -------------- How did they get here? -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Mauritanian National Agency for Refugee Support (ANAIR),in cooperation with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and World Food Program (WFP), plans to facilitate the return of 12,000 Mauritanians from Senegal in 2008. This is less than half of those who sought refuge or were deported from Mauritania during the 1989-1992 ethnic-related disturbances under former president Ould Taya. To date, ANAIR has assisted approximately 4,849 returnees to resettle in Mauritania. The first group of returnees, 103 in total, arrived in Mauritania on January 29, 2008. Since then, ANAIR reports that it has assisted approximately 22 additional groups to resettle in Mauritania, with the 4,849th returnee received on October 29, 2008. According to the UNHCR Country Director in Mauritania, the latest group of returnees was expected to arrive in Brakna region on November ¶11. However, upon our team,s visit to Brakna on November 11, neither the local authorities nor the UNHCR regional representatives were aware of any new arrivals. ¶4. (SBU) ANAIR, in cooperation with international and local partners, aims to provide for the returnees basic needs, including: transport from Senegal to their resettlement site in Mauritania; shelter (primarily UNHCR tents and some one-room concrete structures); slightly more than 90 days of food and water; and a basic "welcome kit" comprised of blankets, plastic woven matting, plastic jugs, among others; medical services and education access. Some of the more fortunate returnees have also been provided cows, agricultural land and opportunities for income generating activities. -------------- Visits to four returnee sites -------------- ¶5. (C) In each of the four site visits, we found that living conditions were exceptionally austere. The main complaints were a lack of basic necessities, such as: secure lodging; water; food; sanitation systems or latrines; personal identification documents; health care; and economic opportunities. On the positive side, no one complained of any type of discrimination within the local community. -------------- Site #1 - "PK3" (Trarza region) -------------- ¶6. (C) The "PK3" site, which includes 27 families, was by far the best off. In addition to being directly off the main NOUAKCHOTT 00000683 002.2 OF 004 Nouakchott-Rosso road, they are located only three kilometers from Rosso, Mauritania,s third largest city and near the border with Senegal. Having arrived in one of the earlier groups, on March 13, 2008, most families have their own one-room concrete structure. Although they do not have land for farming, they did receive one cow for every three returnees at the site. They had also received one medical check in the eight months they had been in Mauritania. That medical check occurred last month. This site was also unique in that they were the only one we interviewed that had received anything post-coup by the HSC. The village chief reported that since August 6, they received donations of sugar and clothes. After reflection, he stated that this was especially true during Ramadan, when there were lower prices in the market. ¶7. (C) The "PK3" site members remain without identification papers for all except the village chief himself, although all had filed the necessary paperwork upon their arrival eight months ago. The chief explained that without proper identification, returnees were not allowed to pass the numerous checkpoints at the entrance and exit of all towns and villages unless they paid a bribe. He further explained that without any economic opportunities they had no money to pay bribes. -------------- Site #2 - "Rosso Lycee" (Trarza region) -------------- ¶8. (C) The "Rosso Lycee" site houses two groups of returnees: a 96-person March 10 group, all of which live in single room concrete structures, and a 104-person October 22 group, all of which live under UNHCR tents. Although WFP food assistance to the March group ended long ago, the October group still receives some wheat and sugar. The wheat quantity is insufficient and the returnees we met admit that they take it to market -- approximately five kilometers away -- to sell in order to obtain money to purchase rice. The village chief confessed that his people do not know how to cook with wheat. They also have no agricultural land on which to grow their own food. On the entire site housing 200 people, there is not a single latrine, and very few trees or vegetation, within a one kilometer area. The village chief explained that housing is their biggest challenge. The UNHCR tents in which the majority live are exceptionally hot, flimsy and insecure as a permanent residence. They received a small quantity of bricks and chicken wire from UNHCR, however the village chief stated that they did not have the skill to construct their own lodgings and the materials provided were less than sufficient. Medical care is non-existent, even for the new arrivals. Although one of the returnees here was a nurse in Senegal, the site has no access to much needed medical supplies. ¶9. (C) The village chief lamented about his past life in Senegal. There, he said, they lived in rented homes, they found work and made enough money to feed, clothe and educate their families. Now, he said, they do not have any money, access to medical care or educational services. Some of their children stayed behind in Senegal to complete the school year, while others returned to Senegal after not finding adequate schooling near their respective returnee site. He reasoned that it is difficult to get children into Mauritanian school without proper identification papers. ¶10. (C) He also had nothing positive to say about ALDP, UNHCR,s and WFP,s implementing organization in charge of food and materials distribution to the returnees. Launching into a scathing criticism of ALDP, the village chief declared that "ALDP has done nothing good here." -------------- -------------- Site #3 - "N,Diawalde Seneketebe" (Brakna region) -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) The "N,Diawalde Seneketebe" site is inhabited by NOUAKCHOTT 00000683 003 OF 004 eight families who had opted to come to this relatively remote location because their ancestors are buried nearby, and although they do not own that land anymore, they feel attached to it. Here, they have limited access with the outside world, and depend on the meager means they had received months ago through the UNHCR. Having arrived seven months ago, they complained that UNHCR no longer took care of them. Although each family received one or two cows depending on family size, the milk they produced and the limited grains they found was not enough to keep the site inhabitants nourished. Their housing is a mix of plastic sheeting tents and local "hangars", constructed from a concrete base, chicken wire walls, and a metal roof. -------------- Site #4 - "Houdallaye" (Brakna region) -------------- ¶12. (C) Houdallaye is one of the country,s largest returnee sites, with approximately 181 families, or 727 people, most of whom arrived on March 25, 2008. The majority of these people lived in a community 10 kilometers away before being deported during the "Passif Humanitaire" ethnic disturbances. Like other sites we visited, Houdallaye does not have a single latrine. Their housing is a mix of concrete room structures, UNHCR tents, and local "hangars". ¶13. (C) Although grossly insufficient, this site does have a "school" with three teachers among the returnee population, some cattle, and 50 hectares of farm land. This was the only agricultural land we observed that ANAIR had given to the returnees. The site was also beginning to receive agricultural and micro-enterprise support from World Vision through a State Department Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) grant. Unlike the other three sites, Houdallaye also has water. They are on Boghe,s city water system, but they have only one water spigot at the site. -------------- Desperation regardless of semantics -------------- ¶14. (C) The UNHCR is quick to clarify that these are not "refugees", they are instead "returnees" repatriated to their homeland. Indeed, the returnees visited affirmed that they had chosen to return to Mauritania voluntarily, most were granted settlement in camps in very close proximity to where they had lived prior to 1989. The returnees we visited confirmed that they had not received any promises from either the Mauritanian or Senegalese Governments prior to their departure from Senegal, but they had been optimistic. Over time, that optimism is beginning to fade. ¶15. (C) Some returnees noted concerns in regards to the transparency of the resettlement process. All complained that the ID process was exceptionally slow and very hindering to their physical mobility. The Rosso Lycee chief complained that ALPD, the local implementing partner for UNHCR and WFP, was not providing them with the quantity of food or lodging materials they were supposed to be allotted. -------------- Post-coup situation -------------- ¶16. (C) In July, ANAIR suspended the returnee resettlements, reportedly due to rain. By October 22, the suspension was cancelled and two more groups have since returned to Mauritania. ¶17. (C) To the returnees, survival outweighs the importance of politics. Most returnees we met were not politically active and did not overtly claim adherence to any political party. When asked about the August 6 military coup and subsequent change in political authorities, most were indifferent. The new authorities made some promises for better lives for the returnees, but little if anything has NOUAKCHOTT 00000683 004 OF 004 come of it. Some credited the junta for the annual Ramadan-period food price reduction and the global decrease in gas prices. -------------- USG Assistance -------------- ¶18. (C) In FY 2008, the United States Government, through Department of State,s PRM Office, provides the following assistance to the returnees: - UNHCR Repatriation and Reintegration (USD$2,250,000) - World Vision Reintegration in Brakna region (USD $500,000) - Local NGO REVE medical and education materials (USD $20,000) - UNICEF returnee educational services in Brakna region (USD $100,000) - UNICEF returnee health services in Brakna region (USD $250,000) Other new PRM-funded projects are also possible. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶19. (C) It is unclear if Mauritania,s returnee situation fell victim to a lack of planning, a lack of budget, a lack of transparency, or all of the above. These refugees came with the intent of permanently settling at these returnee sites, most of which are near their former villages or ancestral lands. To have 100,s of people at a site without providing or even planning for latrines or access to water is inconceivable from a humanitarian point of view. Although the current situation is peaceful within the camps and between the camps and the local communities, a significant lack of social services, economic resources and basic necessities -- like food and water -- could potentially serve as tinder to larger fire. ¶20. (C) With 90 percent of the year complete and only 40 percent of the returnees resettled, this is potentially the start of a long resettlement process, which was only supposed to last one year. If ANAIR,s June 2008 donor meeting is any suggestion -- where ANAIR asked donors to supply an additional USD $62 million dollars for the national resettlement program -- there will be many needs that will remain unmet, especially under the leadership of the cash-strapped junta. HANKINS