“If the Russian mercenaries leave, we will go home”: in Mauritania, where he fled the devastating conflict engulfing his native Mali, Mosso* voices the fragile hope of displaced Malians for a return after late April’s coordinated attacks on Malian forces and their Russian allies in the Africa Corps. These offensives, spearheaded by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) separatists and jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (Jnim, Al-Qaeda affiliate), dealt a historic blow to the Malian junta since its 2020 coup, claiming the life of the Defense Minister.

In the Mauritanian border town of Fassala, the actions of Russian paramilitaries have left deep scars among refugees. Locals still refer to them as “Wagner”—the name of the Russian private militia that rebranded as the Africa Corps after replacing French forces in Mali’s counterterrorism operations.

“It was Goïta who brought Wagner to Mali”

Under a flimsy tent to escape the scorching Sahara heat, Mosso—now 57, with a long white beard—hopes for “the fall of (Assimi) Goïta,” Mali’s junta leader. “He’s the one who invited Wagner here,” the nomadic Tuareg herder says bitterly. Three weeks ago, he fled central Mali’s Mopti region after white men—Russian paramilitaries in his account—arrived in his camp and abducted locals. His brother was killed by Russian fighters in front of his 14-year-old son just a year prior.

In Mali, civilians face relentless retaliation from both the army with its Russian allies and jihadist groups, often accused of collaboration. On April 20, three civil society organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a complaint with the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) over alleged violations involving Malian forces and the Wagner group.

Images of a Russian convoy leaving Kidal—a key northern city seized by Tuareg rebels in late April—have sparked cautious optimism among refugees that the paramilitaries might finally withdraw. Like Mosso, around 300,000 Malians have sought refuge in Mauritania’s Hodh Chargui region since the conflict erupted in 2012.

The FLA-Jnim alliance raises concerns

Near the border, Mbera camp shelters 120,000 refugees fleeing violence from all factions: jihadists, Malian troops, Russian mercenaries, and communal militias. Ahmed*, 35, a Tuareg who fled the chaos, longs for peace to return home. “We need the military to go—they’ve brought nothing but suffering,” he says. “Wagner’s presence made everything worse,” he adds, describing how the Malian army and its Russian allies indiscriminately targeted civilians.

Seventy-seven-year-old Abdallah*, a refugee with sun-baked skin, remains skeptical about the rebel alliance. “I’m not happy the FLA took Kidal,” he admits. “Jnim is a terrorist group. Their goals don’t align with ours as moderate, peaceful Muslims.”

Since October, Jnim’s blockades on Malian towns have displaced nearly 14,000 people—mostly women and children—according to UNHCR reports. Humanitarian workers fear the recent surge in fighting could trigger another wave of refugees in Mauritania’s already strained desert region.

Fears of a new refugee influx

“We’re monitoring the situation with grave concern,” says Omar Doukali, UNHCR spokesperson in Mauritania. The recent fighting in Mali threatens to deepen the crisis in a country already hosting over 300,000 displaced Malians. “Pastureland, water resources, and basic services like healthcare are under severe pressure,” warns Cheikhna Ould Abdallahi, mayor of Fassala, where 70,000 refugees now strain local infrastructure.

As the epicenter of global jihadist violence, the Sahel’s instability looms large over Mauritania, a nation of 5.5 million known for its relative stability. Yet the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Malians has disrupted lives in border communities like Fassala, where tensions over scarce resources simmer.

With the FLA vowing to seize northern Mali’s major cities and predicting the junta’s collapse, displaced families remain caught between fear and hope. Tilleli*, 22, holds her one-year-old daughter as she recounts fleeing her village in central Mali last month after Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers looted and burned it. “I’ll only go back when Wagner leaves,” she insists. “Peace won’t come soon.”