Nouakchott – This week (04/12), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mauritania facilitated a mass displacement border crisis simulation exercise in Bassikounou, South-Eastern Mauritania, at the border with Mali. The exercise was designed to strengthen border management and coordination mechanisms between border communities and local stakeholders during a crisis.

The activity aimed to prepare over 300 key national actors and community members along the Mauritania-Mali border to respond to a potential humanitarian emergency. It was followed by an analysis of existing response mechanisms, and the resulting feedback will lead to the development of an emergency plan for rural communities along the borders.

"Crisis prevention can be lifesaving in emergency situations", says IOM Mauritania Chief of Mission, Laura Lungarotti. IOM has been working in close partnership with governmental and non-governmental partners to build the capacity on crisis prevention and response in several countries and has built substantial technical expertise.

This preparedness activity and simulation exercise are part of the project Enhancing the Collective Operational Preparedness for Cross Border Migration and Humanitarian Crises between Mauritania and Mali funded by the Japanese government; it is the second exercise organized this year.

IOM facilitated the exercise in close coordination with national administrative and border security authorities as well as their monitoring centres. The Ministers of Interior and Decentralization, Foreign Affairs and Health; the local police and gendarmerie; as well as UN agencies and local NGOs present in Bassikounou (including UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF) actively participated in the exercise. 

Millions of people are displaced in West Africa due to the security situation and instability in the region.

For more information please contact Yohei Komura at IOM Mauritania, Tel: +22249383790, Email: ykomura@iom.int.