Spotted this the other day after that talk of Mk trenches - never knew of it.
More here.

Morocco says there is chaos on the other side of the border.
Algeria say they are being run over by Moroccan haschisch.
Some truth to both claims I think.
http://www.elwatan.com//actualite/al...327547_109.php

Things heating up at Guergarat border

Armed Polisario Fighters Confront Moroccan Security Forces in Guarguarat

UN Security Council may stop the construction of the road?
Western Sahara Consultations : What's In Blue

troops took positions only 120 meters from each other

700? This is peanuts, Morocco built a 2500 km long berm a looooong while ago :innocent:

While some Arab elites love the jews more the the Palestinians it is important to know that Mauritanians and the Saharawis (polisario just being their preeminent political representative) share a common language (Hassania), common history and strong ethnic interconnections. At present Nouadhibou, Mauri's second largest city, is practically owned by Saharawis. Same goes for Zouerate, Fdeirik and Bir Moghrein - a large chunk of Mauri territory. Mauri will do nothing against the Saharawis, Mauri will also not go to war with Morocco.

The story is more like this:
Morocco decided to steal another slab of land and moved into No man's land. Clearing at first hundreds of gutted vehicles adorning the 5 km strip (no more Mad max scenery). Under the usual pretext: anti-criminal, anti-terrorist, anti-blabla operation. As a bonus Morocco claimed to have confiscated several tons of haschich. Khm. Who produces haschich? Mauritania? Saharawis? The Cubans maybe? So Morocco confiscated it's own drugs in a foreign territory. Bingo! Then the bulldozers moved in, to construct a road. A noble endeavor, we - the travelling folks - may say. If it was not in clear violation of the 1991 peace agreement. Which may lead to armed conflict. The few trucks loaded with moroccan vegetables going south ant the few trucks carrying fish the other way are but an insignificant sidedish. So are the ever decreasing numbers of over-psyched pale skinned tourists.

No Man's Land like no man coul ever have imagined it.
 

[ATTACH]Attachment 18308[/ATTACH][QUOTE=burden;547211]700?

a fantastic piece of pure propaganda :)
The Moroccans busted Morrocan haschisch in No Man's Land?
And the smugglers were: Polisario? Algeria? Smuggling Morrocan dope from liberated territories to La Guira? From Morroco to Mauritania?

...

As things stand now: you finish the Morrocan side, than you ride some kilometres of brand new illegal tarmac, then you see Morrocan gendarmerie, where they shouldn't have been, then you see UN guys, then Saharawi Polisario, and then you hit the old currogated pisted leading to Mauri side of the border.

Attachment 18309

Dear burden you know fuller well that Morocco is now the envy of Africa and the Arab world, developping at madcap speed and doing it with barely a drop of oil. ;)
One common mistake you do is equating sahrawis with Polisario.
Polisario is more interested in smuggling arms and cocaine than moroccan kif.
Soon enough we will have a freeway from Tangiers to Dakar, like it or not.

Pure propaganda! :-) I only posted it for the picture of them laying the tarmac I never thought I'd see that happen...

True, but a typicall neocon development: enriching the very few (already) super-rich, the vast majority of the Morrocan citisens is as screwed as ever, possibly more. Just to give you an example: were you a Morrocan you would most likely be eating old (subsidized (sic!) ... isn't this communism?) bread and sipping recycled mint tea brewed on subsidized (sic!) gas. Equating Saharawis woith Polisario? When? However, Polisario is the only visible political force of the Saharawi people. Ever since 1975. Don't like it? Go blame the king. True, it's been widely ostracised, a bit like Hamas - a legitimate political party that won the election, western style. You don't like the outcome? Establish your own Saharawi party.
I wonder where you get your vehemence on the topic, you have never set foot on liberated territories, nor have you ever been even remotely close to the berm, except when crossing No Man's Land. So how do you know?
As far as the highway goes - there will be none for a long time coming (not that I wouldn't like it) - the tarmac from Mauri border to Nouakchott is utterly destroyed and needs to be completely redone. Not to mention the road from Nouakchott to Senegal. Not to mention the Route d'Espoir - gone but for a modest stretch around Kiffa. Not even the divine king of Morroco can help here :) He also can't help the fact that the Saharawis have been ethnically cleansed from their homeland and continue to live in exile for 40 years now. And are still there. TheY will not just vanish in thin air. But hey, may god help the king achieve his noble goals.

i''m guessing all is still the same, 120 euros at the border, no chance of a multi entry either there or Rabat? Heading into Morocco from Spain in the next few days

Cheers

Report what you find, these things change

Mauritania visa cost rumor for 2017
 

There is a rumor that the Mauritania visa will drop to 40 euro for 2017

Mauritanie: baisse du prix des visas pour relancer le tourisme | Mauritanie



Patrick