Mauritania is vulnerable to natural hazards, such as droughts and flooding, which heighten malnutrition rates, disrupt livelihoods, and deteriorate food security levels. Its land is mainly desert, with only about 0.5% being arable. As a result, most people rely on traditional agriculture and livestock farming and heavily depend on the rainy seasons (July–September).
From 2022–2023, the country faced heavy rainfall and flooding, damaging crops and killing livestock. Food is among the highest needs reported. Nearly 700,000 people across the country were projected to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse food insecurity levels between July–August 2023.
Mauritania hosted more than 13,200 refugees from Mali as at October 2023. The number of refugees from Mali has been sharply increasing since March 2022, owing to increased violence and insecurity in the country. Most of the refugees live in Mbera refugee camp (Hodh el Chargui region), and returns to Mali remain unlikely because of continued insecurity. The refugees have been slowly integrating into society, with the majority working in farming, agriculture, or fishing in Lake Mahmouda. Since 2019, these refugees have also experienced consecutive periods of drought characterised by a lack of rain and increasing temperatures that affect their livelihoods. (IFRC 03/07/2023, CARE 10/01/2024, UNHCR 30/11/2023, WB accessed 04/02/2024, UNHCR 27/11/2023)
