Sahel situation

The central Sahel region, encompassing Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, is facing a severe humanitarian and protection crisis that has already driven millions of people from their homes. The political, security and economic situation, characterized by repeated coups d'état, an intense and expanding armed conflict and extreme poverty, is expected to deteriorate further in 2024. Human rights violations are likely to increase as the conflict escalates. More displaced people are likely to be beyond the reach of assistance, leading to further displacement into urban areas across the region. Additionally, as national capacities become increasingly strained, displaced people will be forced to flee into neighbouring countries. Many will continue to move onward within the region, as was with about 55,000 Malians arriving in Mauritania in the last few months of 2023, and towards coastal countries. Others will move even further in mixed movements of migrants and refugees. Movements beyond the region are expected to increase, including to Europe. Burkina Faso and Mali already featured in the top nationalities among sea arrivals to Italy in the first half of 2023.  

UNHCR will stay and deliver a protection-centred response throughout the Sahel region. This will include ensuring access to territory, registration, access to asylum, gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation and response, child protection, education, civil documentation (including for those at risk of statelessness) and the provision of shelter and core relief items. In Mauritania, UNHCR will respond to the urgent needs of new arrivals from Mali by providing emergency protection and immediate humanitarian assistance in Mbera camp and the coordination of the out-of-camp response in Hodh Chargui through the refugee coordination model. Additionally, UNHCR aims to ensure that 60% of IDPs in Burkina Faso live in habitable and affordable housing, while in Niger 100% of refugees and asylum-seekers will be registered, and 70% of refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs will have access to available gender-based violence services.  

As lead of the Protection Cluster, Shelter and Core Relief Items Cluster, and Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, UNHCR will ensure a predictable and efficient response to the needs of internally displaced persons.

UNHCR will work closely with national and local authorities to improve the protection environment by technically supporting national asylum authorities to enhance the quality and efficiency of registration and status determination procedures, including in the context of mixed movements, as well as for individual case processing.  

UNHCR will also work for durable solutions, including by advocating for forcibly displaced people to be included in national and local integration strategies, supporting the enhancement of national systems, and seizing opportunities for voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. Strategic partnerships with development actors will be crucial in ensuring the sustainability of solutions, through continued advocacy for inclusion of forcibly displaced people in national development plans, and welfare systems. Resettlement and complementary pathways will be sought as solutions for the most vulnerable refugees in the Sahel region.