Around 60,000 people had fled Mauritania to Senegal and Mali during the 1989 crisis. 33 years after the diplomatic crisis broke out, the Mauritanian refugees are still experiencing the ordeal.

According to UNHCR, in 2022, the majority of Mauritanian refugees were living in very precarious conditions. Stateless, without jobs or stable incomes, and without fixed homes, they are often housed in houses that are in dilapidated condition or under construction.

The State of Senegal adopted, on April 5, 2022, by the National Assembly, bill No. 21/2021 on the status of refugees and stateless persons. These regulations aim to improve the condition of refugees and to establish a normative and institutional system capable of providing effective protection to stateless persons. UNHCR encourages Senegal to set up an independent appeals committee to better take into account the refugee issue.