Mauritania

As a country straddling the divide between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritania has long been challenged by ethnic tension between Moorish northerners and black Africans, with one group frequently enslaving the other. In the late 1980s, tensions were so high that 70,000 black Mauritanians were expelled from their country and settled in Senegal and other neighboring countries. With the passage of another in a series of anti-slavery laws in 2007, these families have begun to return. IRD is helping them re-establish themselves.

Programs

Peace through Development

The Sahel region of West Africa is increasingly threatened by violent extremist gro... more

Resettling Refugees in Mauritania

In 1989, violent ethnic conflicts and mounting pressures on limited natural resourc... more

Success Stories

Sustainable Reintegration of Mauritanians

In 2010 IRD facilitated the sustainable reintegration of nearly 3,500 Mauri... more