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Trans Sahara Routes.

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  #1  
Old 25 Sep 2009
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The Sahrawi situation
Not much discussed here but something all travellers along the Atlantic Sahara route should be aware of; the West Sahara conflict.
If this conflict could somehow be resolved it could result in opening the border between Morocco and Algeria and a new era of travel in the desert could commence.

UNHCR makes landmark visit to sahrawi refugee camp (Magharebia.com)
"United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres visited Sahrawi refugees in the Algerian governorate of Tindouf last week as part of an effort to reunite families separated by the Western Sahara conflict.

Guterres, whose five-day tour of Algeria and Morocco ended Saturday (September 12th), said the UNHCR's proposal for a direct, straight-line land corridor between Tindouf and Laâyoune had been accepted as the best solution by all parties."
The Moroccans can't expect the UN to keep feeding the refugees in Tindouf forever.

I've found the Sahrawis to have the lowest of opinions of the Moroccans. OTOH the older generation seem to remember the Spanish rule almost with fondness? And I was surprised to see Polisario leaders moving around in Laayoune. They had been trained in Cuba. We all communicated in Spanish.

General coverage Western Sahara Conflict
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Old 25 Sep 2009
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Faintly related, an interesting story here about Alg-Mori border via Ain ben Tili being wide open - but not for us.
Roaring Ramadan trade boosts Algeria-Mauritania ties (Magharebia.com)

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Old 27 Sep 2009
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The geography is confusing. Ain ben Tili is at the Mauritania - Western Sahara border. Ain ben Tili must be 200 kms from the Algerian border? And Zouerat is described in the article as being a border town with Algeria - but the Zouerat I know is approx 600 kms from the border??
The "Free Zone" controlled by Polisario after the ceasefire means the borders aren't the real borders I guess.
Has there been any travelling done in the free zone in recent history?

After the meeting between Sahrawi tribes in Ain ben Tili in 1976, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic celebrates October 12 as National Unity Day.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The SADR is a recognized member of the African Union. UN decided long ago that the matter shall be settled with a referendum, still waiting to be held.
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Old 29 Sep 2009
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I believe the route from Tindouf skirts the Mk/WS border south then east to ABT, Bir Mog and so on.

Has there been any travelling done in the free zone in recent history?

Last person I heard was the Micheal Palin show obvioulsy with special permision; he flew into Tindouf and started from there through the PFZ and then into Mori to do the train thing.

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