Kevashinee Pillay

The Effectiveness of Local Integration As a Durable Solution:: the Situation of Mauritanian Refugees in Senegal Kevashinee Pillay

In 1989 a conflict between Senegal and Mauritania, caused over 70 000 Mauritanians to seek refuge in Senegal resulting in a protracted refugee situation. The office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to find lasting and durable solutions for protracted refugee situations. The current durable solutions available for refugees are voluntary repatriation, resettlement and local integration. Although many Mauritanians have returned to their country of origin via a process of voluntary repatriation, some chose to remain in Senegal. UNHCR (West Africa) has prioritised local integration as the most suitable durable solution for the region. Senegal in partnership with UNHCR has implemented a local integration strategy for those Mauritanians that have remained in Senegal. This strategy will be critically analyzed together with the legal framework governing refugees, further emphasizing the importance of social integration of refugees into the host community. In this regard the study aims to depict that local integration is a socio-legal phenomena and if not carefully considered, a situation meant to improve the lives of refugees can be the very source of conflict.