August 14, 2012

MBERE CAMP, Mauritania/GENEVA – Even for people living here in southeastern Mauritania the heat is unbearable.

On a typical day, it approaches 50 degrees Celsius in Bassikounou, where The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) staff acknowledges that the power supply has been out for 10 days and generators cannot function in such heat.

Through its World Service program in Mauritania, the LWF manages the Mbere refugee camp at Bassikounou for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But despite the high temperatures, thousands of Malians fleeing famine, insecurity and conflict are crossing into neighboring countries, including Mauritania, and streaming into the camp located 50 kilometers from the common border.

Arriving from Nouakchott The Mbere camp management team is headed by LWF project coordinator Demba Niang and outgoing coordinator Pape Diallo. On a Friday evening, the staff receives a message – 25 refugee families from Nouakchott will arrive in five hours.

This is the first day of the weekend and normally not a working day in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. But there are rarely any normal days when managing a camp.

Both Niang and Diallo immediately get on their phones to try and gather the team. Twenty-five families mean 25 tents that have to be put in place.

"That is our responsibility, no matter what day or time," Niang says as he reaches for his cell phone.

Two hours later, 12 people from the LWF are huddled in three cars headed towards the camp, and as the sun is setting the first pins are being driven into the ground indicating where to put up the tents. Building a camp is all about knowing the rules and regulations regarding such details as the distance between tents, sanitation and fire ways.

But something is wrong. A dark blue, four-wheel drive vehicle zooms onto the site with an angry police captain shouting in Arabic. With help from a translator, Niang is told that the team is at the wrong end of the camp.

The reasons are far from clear but 10 minutes later pins are being pulled up and tents are repacked onto cars.

"It's all about diplomacy," Niang says. "And having good relations with the local gendarme is absolutely vital to us. Without their goodwill, we cannot function here."

Almost an hour behind schedule the 25 new tents are finally up in the desert sand. Groups of Malian refugees volunteering to help are led by LWF staff. "Normally this would take us 30 minutes," Niang says. "We put up 300 tents per day." A Moment of Chaos As the last vestiges of daylight disappear, the sounds from over 64,000 people in the camp suddenly take on a surreal quality with the cacophony of crying babies, laughing children and honking donkeys hovering above the sand.

Tents are in place, and as Niang is trying to coordinate work with the UNHCR staff, water, an absolute necessity, is mentioned. Someone had forgotten to order a water tank for the arriving guests. Everyone looks at Niang with a silent question: what now?

The black sky suddenly flashes with light as a caravan of over 15 cars slowly moves into camp. There is an apparent moment of chaos before Niang and Diallo shout out orders and the LWF cars are placed so that their headlights light up the site.

"It's our job to get people installed," Niang says as he guides the newly arrived refugees to designated tents. Each family has received water tanks, chairs, kitchenware and rice.

Seeing it for the first time, the following 25 minutes seem totally disorganized. People are everywhere. There is no way of knowing who is who in the dark. One family seems to be missing luggage. A young mother holds a small baby, who just won't stop crying. There are children everywhere, playing, screaming or fighting. Another mother puts down her crying newborn in her sister's lap and leaves.

What about water? Niang has managed to get in touch with Doctors without Borders and a green lorry with fresh water arrives, suddenly catching everyone's attention.

Doesn´t Add Up

Another caravan of 10 cars arrives carrying another 10 families that need places to stay. The LWF staff begins again the procedure of finding temporary homes for the newly arrived. In another 15 minutes all the families have a place to stay and all the tents are occupied.

Then a driver says that three cars have been left behind. Suddenly the numbers don't add up.

The original message that all had arrived turned out to be wrong. It is almost half past nine in the evening and people have been working to set up the site for nearly five hours. Still, a small group is called on to put up another three tents.

One of the UNCHCR staff is seen carrying a very small baby. She saw the mother leaving her child with her sister and could not help getting involved. She has managed to get the baby to stop crying.

As the last three tents are unpacked the UNCHR gives the message: "It's time to leave camp!" The crew cannot stay; it's all about security.

Without really knowing why, all the LWF staff climb into their cars and drive off into the night.

But they are only gone for a few of hours. As soon as the sun rises the following day, everyone will be back, setting up new tents, making sure that the families who are fleeing the famine conditions and civil war in Mali are welcomed at the camp site in the desert that might be their home for months or even years to come.

Lutheran World Information
Written for LWI by Thomas Ekelund in Mbere, Mauritania.