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Western Sahara remains
a disputed territory, occupied by Morocco, but with claims from the
Saharawi refugees over the border in Algeria. It has little in
the way of natural resources (apart from a substantial phosphate
mine near Laayoune), so is hardly worth fighting over, and was
abandoned by the Spanish in 1975 at the end of the Franco regime.
The war with the Saharawis was effectively settled by the
construction of a massive berm (sand wall) stretching the entire
length of the border with Algeria and Mauritania with a smattering
of land mines to deter any incursion; unfortunately this also
severely limits any aspirations you might have to explore the inland
areas of Western Sahara and makes crossing the border impossible
except for a single border crossing into Mauritania at Guergarat in
the far South. As a result it has become the overlanders route
of choice for a relatively easy journey from Europe to West Africa
and, although described by many as boring and monotonous, I find
there is something rather mesmeric and even therapeutic about
driving for a few days with a constant view of sand, sky and the
blue of the Atlantic Ocean.
Since the 1970's,
the Moroccans have attempted to develop the area by investing in
infrastructure such as the random placement of Identikit towns along
the new coast road from Morocco to the Mauritanian border, and have
encouraged (Moroccan) settlement by granting the entire area
tax-free status. The UN has "observers" in Laayoune and
Dakhla, but there is nothing much to observe, other than the endless
sandy beaches, and it is expected that they will eventually withdraw
through boredom as it has become a de facto peaceful province
of Morocco. |
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