This is an interesting article which seems to cast some light on the current situation involving Morocco, Spain, and the EU, with respect to the enclaves and Western Sahara.

I'd be interested in the comments of those who know this area well.

https://europeanconservative.com/art...sts-surrender/

Hi Berin

Thanks for posting the article which i found extremely interesting and providing me with new perspectives on the WS and i am sure there will be a limited number of HU members that will share my interest.

However,the main purpose of the forum is to share and enjoy travel and overland experience in Morocco.WS is only a small part of this area into which only the more intrepid,with more additional time than most,will travel.

I hope your entirely legitimate thread will not turn into a sinkhole for lots of people to debate on the basis of little knowledge.

After all,we are a travel oriented group of enthusiasts and not political theorists.

Sorry if it’s the wrong place. I only posted since it seems to give some context about the situations we see in Morocco /Western Sahara/Algeria today.

Mods feel free to delete or move if it’s inappropriate


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Spain surrendered the Spanish Sahara in 1975 when it signed the Madrid Accords agreeing to divide the territory between Morocco and Mauritania. Morocco had been claiming the return of the Sahara ever since independence in 1956. It's a valuable piece of real estate and one much desired by Algeria as it would give the country access to the Atlantic seaboard, hence their support of the Polisario Front which would deliver that.

I have several books and treatises on the subject, the best of which is Dr Ali Bahaijoub's 'Western Sahara Conflict' but the reality is that everyone who puts pen to paper, including the author of the article above, has a bias one way or another.

What these articles totally ignore is the human cost of the extended dithering. The 'refugee' camps in Algeria administered by Polisario are considered by many to be no more than concentration camps, with severe restrictions on the 100,000 inhabitants.

The vast majority of these people have never seen Western Sahara—they were born IN the camps, or moved there from sub-Saharan Africa.

It's time to be pragmatic about the situation—stop focusing on what happened in the past and start building for the future. The Moroccan autonomy plan is the only viable solution on the table and most of the world except Algeria accepts that. If this plan were to come to fruition I would like to think that Morocco would truly welcome these people to the 'Southern Provinces' and provide decent housing and employment possibilities.

I don't normally engage with political-type discussions on HUBB, my contribution above is focused on the need to provide a better life for the people, some of whom have spent 50 years sitting in a dust bowl in the desert.

Refugee camp wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahrawi_refugee_camps

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Tim, as one who obviously is connected with the area and knows what he's talking about, could you give a brief precis of what this means to potential travellers to the area, who actually owns it now, is it safe, is it good to visit, is there anything there but sand?

The linked article makes interesting reading, but I haven't seen any indication that anything in particular has changed; that includes "ownership" (a rather vague construct) or political hegemony, safety vs. no-go zones, sights and points of interest, food and lodging, ease of travel, etc.

As previously, travelers will rely on monitoring current events--not limited to periodic protests, political power plays, border atrocities, and pandemics--and a certain degree of luck with timing. Under most circumstances you won't even notice when you cross the official border between Morocco and Western Sahara, and if entering or exiting Mauritania it's still going to be the Moroccan government you'll deal with.

It's been a while since I was in that area, so as always I welcome corrections by any and all.

Mark

Great area to visit, nothing has really changed on the Moroccan controlled Western Side of the berm. Initially the desert seems bleak and featureless to many but if you spend the time exploring it hides quite a lot. Biggest risk is UXOs and that’s small if your careful.

The article has a few interesting points, misses some big ones and gets quite tabloid in its approach particularly in reference to the migrant issues. Spanish journalists seem to take a unusual stance on the issues of the region. Not worth getting more in-depth on a travel forum.

Western Sahara is perfectly safe. There have been Polisario-organised demonstrations near Dakhla in the past but nothing to be concerned about.

Most people travel south through Western Sahara on the coast road which is through boring flat scrub landscape. The only dunes on this route are in the north near Laayoune and they are only a couple of metres high.


This video was 40km or so inland


One outstanding place to visit is the cascade of Khawi Nam

The salt flats around Dakhla in the south are beautiful and there's quite a few sebjets (salt depressions) which are interesting.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)