Institute for Migrant Rights
Railway line at Cianjur station, c. 1890 · KITLV, CC BY 4.0

Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Mauritania

Malawi African Association and others v. Mauritania

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights · Mauritania · 2000-05 · Regional court or body

Citation: Communications 54/91, 61/91, 98/93, 164/97–196/97, 210/98
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side

Question

Was Mauritania responsible for expelling black Mauritanians to Senegal and Mali and taking their papers?

What the court decided

Yes. The expulsions, the destruction of identity papers and related abuses were serious violations; the state was asked to allow return and restore documents.

In plain language

In 1989–1991 tens of thousands of black Mauritanians were driven into Senegal and Mali and their papers destroyed. The African Commission found grave violations and asked Mauritania to let them return.

Dalam bahasa sederhana

Pada 1989–1991 puluhan ribu warga Mauritania kulit hitam diusir ke Senegal dan Mali dan dokumen mereka dihancurkan. Komisi Afrika menemukan pelanggaran berat dan meminta Mauritania mengizinkan mereka pulang.

Pertanyaan: Apakah Mauritania bertanggung jawab atas pengusiran warga Mauritania kulit hitam ke Senegal dan Mali serta perampasan dokumen mereka?

What happened afterwards

  • 1989: Expulsions begin.
  • 2000-05: Decision adopted.
  • 2008: Organised returns from Senegal begin with UNHCR. [Check.]

Sources

Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).

Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/achpr-mauritania-2000/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.

For researchers

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