Comments on: This is the Desert http://www.theworldbyroad.com/wordpress/2008/02/27/this-is-the-desert Drive Around the World Toyota 4x4 Travel Expedition Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:09:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Laroussi http://www.theworldbyroad.com/wordpress/2008/02/27/this-is-the-desert#comment-5082 Laroussi Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:01:17 +0000 http://theworldbyroad.com/wordpress/2008/02/27/this-is-the-desert#comment-5082 <i>"we are actually in a UN administered territory called Western Sahara. (The Moroccans like to claim it as their southern province and the rebel POLISARIO Front refers to the land as the 'free zone.')"</i> For your info Western Sahara is <b>NOT</b> a UN administered territory. :) It is correct that the Moroccan authorities claim the territory as theirs, and often refers to it as their southern provinces. The Moroccan claim however has not been recognized by the UN and already in 1975 the International Court of Justice rejected the claim. The UN's General Assembly referred to the Moroccan annexation as an "occupation". Polisario Front on its hand claims the territory for the Saharawi indigenous population, the Saharawi, and calls for a referendum (vote) on independence or integration with Morocco - something Morocco in its turn rejects since 2004, although having agreed to holding such a referendum already in 1991 as part of a ceasefire agreement between Morocco and Polisario. The liberation front Polisario however does not call the part of Western Sahara that you visited "free zone". The obvious reason is that the area in no way is free since it is occupied by Morocco. The northern part from 1975 and the southern part from 1979 when Mauritania withdrew after loosing against Polisario and signing a peace treaty with the liberation front. About two thirds of Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco. The remaining eastern third is controlled by Polisario and it is this part that is called "the liberated area" or maybe "the free zone". I hope that you enjoy Western Sahara, despite the presence of Moroccan soldiers and occupational forces. When you get to Dakhla make sure to visit some of the central internet cafés. You will find English speaking Saharawis there that can tell you more about the conflict and history of Western Sahara. You could also ask for the "camps" in the outskirts of the town towards the south, where the formed Moroccan king Hassan II deported Moroccans from in order to transform them into Saharawis. His idea was to "build" his own Saharawi population that would vote in favour of Moroccan sovereignity in the referendum. An idea that flopped, but the Moroccans still live in the camps after more than 15 years, but a short visit to the small metal and clay huts are worth the visit. People there get all their food from military transports once a week, and as you might see all of the huts have satellite disks, although the state of the "houses" is deplorably poor ... Safe driving! “we are actually in a UN administered territory called Western Sahara. (The Moroccans like to claim it as their southern province and the rebel POLISARIO Front refers to the land as the ‘free zone.’)”

For your info Western Sahara is NOT a UN administered territory. :)

It is correct that the Moroccan authorities claim the territory as theirs, and often refers to it as their southern provinces. The Moroccan claim however has not been recognized by the UN and already in 1975 the International Court of Justice rejected the claim. The UN’s General Assembly referred to the Moroccan annexation as an “occupation”.

Polisario Front on its hand claims the territory for the Saharawi indigenous population, the Saharawi, and calls for a referendum (vote) on independence or integration with Morocco - something Morocco in its turn rejects since 2004, although having agreed to holding such a referendum already in 1991 as part of a ceasefire agreement between Morocco and Polisario.

The liberation front Polisario however does not call the part of Western Sahara that you visited “free zone”. The obvious reason is that the area in no way is free since it is occupied by Morocco. The northern part from 1975 and the southern part from 1979 when Mauritania withdrew after loosing against Polisario and signing a peace treaty with the liberation front.

About two thirds of Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco. The remaining eastern third is controlled by Polisario and it is this part that is called “the liberated area” or maybe “the free zone”.

I hope that you enjoy Western Sahara, despite the presence of Moroccan soldiers and occupational forces.

When you get to Dakhla make sure to visit some of the central internet cafés. You will find English speaking Saharawis there that can tell you more about the conflict and history of Western Sahara.

You could also ask for the “camps” in the outskirts of the town towards the south, where the formed Moroccan king Hassan II deported Moroccans from in order to transform them into Saharawis. His idea was to “build” his own Saharawi population that would vote in favour of Moroccan sovereignity in the referendum. An idea that flopped, but the Moroccans still live in the camps after more than 15 years, but a short visit to the small metal and clay huts are worth the visit. People there get all their food from military transports once a week, and as you might see all of the huts have satellite disks, although the state of the “houses” is deplorably poor …

Safe driving!

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