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).

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How did they get here?
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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.

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Visits to four returnee sites
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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.

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Site #1 - "PK3" (Trarza region)
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6. (C) The "PK3" site, which includes 27 families, was by
far the best off. In addition to being directly off the main

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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.

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Site #2 - "Rosso Lycee" (Trarza region)
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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."

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Site #3 - "N,Diawalde Seneketebe" (Brakna region)
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11. (C) The "N,Diawalde Seneketebe" site is inhabited by

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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.

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Site #4 - "Houdallaye" (Brakna region)
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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.

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Desperation regardless of semantics
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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.

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Post-coup situation
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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

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come of it. Some credited the junta for the annual
Ramadan-period food price reduction and the global decrease
in gas prices.

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USG Assistance
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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.

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Comment
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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