Mauritania hosts more than 400,000 refugees. International praise reveals the scale of the humanitarian challenge in the Sahel

صحافة بلادي — Nouakchott –The United Nations praised the policy pursued by Mauritania in managing the migration and asylum file, stressing its commitment to an approach based on respect for human rights and enhancing cooperation with competent international bodies.

The praise came during a session in Geneva devoted to discussing the report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Jihad Madi, following a field visit he conducted to Mauritania during the past months.

The UN rapporteur confirmed that Mauritania continues to cooperate with UN agencies in the field of migration, pointing to the efforts made in search and rescue operations and combating migrant smuggling, in addition to adopting mechanisms that take into account the basic rights of migrants and refugees.

For his part, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action and Relations with Civil Society, Sayed Ahmed Ould Banan, explained that Mauritania hosts more than 400,000 refugees, most of whom are from Mali, despite the security and humanitarian challenges witnessed in the Sahel region.

The Mauritanian official pointed out that his country has strengthened, in recent years, its legal and institutional system related to immigration and asylum, by developing mechanisms to protect victims and combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling, in addition to supporting monitoring and grievance mechanisms.

The Mauritanian delegation stressed before the Human Rights Council that the management of migration flows is carried out in accordance with national legislation and international obligations, while ensuring respect for legal guarantees and humanitarian considerations in the various measures taken.

Source:“My press”