Mauritania: Too Many Crises for One Health System

In eastern Mauritania, population displacement, malnutrition, and lack of access to healthcare are putting communities at risk. In the Hodh El Chargui region, ALIMA is deploying mobile clinics and strengthening care for children suffering from malnutrition.

Testimonies and photographs: Cora Portais/ALIMA
First published June 5, 2026 by ALIMA

In eastern Mauritania, the humanitarian situation has reached a critical level. In the Hodh El Chargui region, located approximately 50 kilometers from the border with Mali, over 120,000 Malian refugees are living in a camp initially thought for 70,000 people.* Around the camp, 90 villages are also home to over 170,000 refugees,** often in precarious conditions.

This demographic pressure is weakening access to water, food, and healthcare. Children and women are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, vaccine-preventable diseases, and epidemics.

Present in the region since 2019, ALIMA has been supporting local health facilities and deploying mobile clinics to reach the most isolated populations who have no access to healthcare.

Mobile clinics: bringing care to patients

To reduce the distance between patients and healthcare, ALIMA runs mobile clinics across several sites, including Kindjerlé. Teams provide medical consultations, monitoring care for pregnant women, childhood vaccinations, and treatment for malnutrition. They also distribute dignity kits and offer mental health support, which is essential in a context marked by exile and forced displacement.

“Mobile clinics allow us to directly reach patients. Rather than asking them to travel several kilometers to receive care, we go to them,” explains Mohamed El Moctar, a nurse with the mobile program. “Without these clinics, thousands of people would remain without access to healthcare.”

Fighting malnutrition, a priority in the region

At the Intensive Nutritional Recovery and Education Center (CRENI), supported by ALIMA at Bassikounou Hospital, medical teams are facing a constant influx of children suffering from acute malnutrition.

“During malnutrition peaks, we are overwhelmed,” says Mohamed Ag Mohamed Alhadi, supervising nurse. “Between December 2025 and January 2026, we admitted 102 children under five, even though we only have four beds. We don’t have enough space to welcome them with dignity.”

Despite these difficult conditions, the determined teams continue their work to provide free treatment for children suffering from malnutrition. Like little Zenabou Wallet Mohamed, who came with her family to seek refuge in Mauritania and arrived suffering from malnutrition, many children are able to return home recovered after receiving appropriate treatment.

In 2025, over 1,900 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were treated by ALIMA in the region.

Behind these figures are families searching for stability

For refugee families, access to healthcare is part of a daily life marked by uncertainty, loss of livelihoods, and dependence on humanitarian aid.

Aya Hamadi Ba, a Malian refugee, fled her village with her children after an attack.

“We walked for five days with my children, in temperatures above 43 °C. We have lost everything and now depend on humanitarian aid. My dream today is simple: to be able to feed my children and return to a normal life.”

Fatoumata, her 18-month-old daughter, is now being monitored by ALIMA’s mobile teams.

At the Aghor site, 10-year-old Metou dreams of a different future: “I want to go to school and work in healthcare,” she says. Her mother, however, puts things into perspective: “Thanks to ALIMA, we receive healthcare, but the school is too far away.”

*For Mohamed Ali Ag Med Aboubacri, a refugee from Mopti, “This project is essential.”*

Mohamed Ag Ahmedou, head of the Aghor site, shares the same view:

*“Before, we had to pay to receive care. Today, healthcare is free.”*

Providing lasting support to the local health system

Beyond the emergency response, ALIMA is working with local healthcare actors to strengthen existing capacities. The project includes training healthcare workers, supporting community health workers, and improving epidemic alert systems.

Given the scale of the needs, humanitarian funding remains insufficient. In 2024, only 51% of estimated needs were covered. Without additional resources, continuity of care could be at risk.

In Hodh El Chargui, where crises overlap—displacement, poverty, malnutrition, and limited access to essential services—support from the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) is enabling ALIMA teams to maintain a vital medical response.

* According to the Refugee Coordination Forum, Bassikounou, January 29, 2026
** According to the UNHCR Refugee Coordination Forum, January 29, 2026

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