What is the “wall” of western Sahara that divides Morocco in two

The wall which is located between the Western Sahara and the Moroccoalso known as Western Sahara Wall or simply Bermis over long 2720 ​​km and was built by the Moroccan authorities between the 1981 and the 1997. This barrier of sand and military fortifications aims to keep the Sahrawi people out, confining it to the surrounding territories of Algeria and Mauritania, thus separating the area controlled by Morocco from the areas they claim.

What is western Sahara: characteristics and why the wall exists

The Western Sahara It is a vast and scarcely populated territory located in theWest Africa and enclosed between Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania And Atlantic Ocean. It is a desert region of great strategic and economic value, rich in natural resources such as phosphates and fishing areas. Spanish territory until 1975, since then it has been disputed between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Arab democratic republic of the Sahrawiadministered by Polisario front of the Sahrawi people, who instead would like to establish an independent and recognized state of the international community. Despite the resistance of the Sahrasi, the Moroccans have strengthened their presence on most of the territory through the construction of one of the longest walls in the world said “Berma”built in sand and about long 2,700 km, starting a real “Demographic colonization” of economically strategic areas.

A contesting land

There Spanish colonization of the Sahara began in 1884 and was brought to a definitive fulfillment only fifty years laterIn the 1934with the suffocation of the last resistance centers of the local tribes. However, Spanish control was always contested by Morocco who, albeit under French protectorate, claimed historical rights on the area. In the 1973 the independentist political formation of Sahrawi del Polisario frontstarted one guerrilla against the Spanish authorities, but it was only in 1975 that the “War of Western Sahara” it became a conflict of international importance. The November 14th of that year in fact, with the Madrid agreementsSpain agreed to retire, leaving a free field to A Morocco And Mauritania. The Sahrawi population rose up en masse and always under the guidance of the polyisarian front by cursing the occupying countries in an exemption guerrilla which continued until 1991 Communist and socialist countries and al Movement of non-alignati.

The opposite diplomatic maneuvers

In the 1991after almost 16 years of war without neighborhoodthanks to the mediation of United Nationsan agreement was reached cease-fire which has frozen to date in a permanent way the lines of the frontleaving the Morocco in possession of the 70% of the territory of western Sahara (including the so -called “Useful triangle”located among the inhabited centers of Laayoune, Boujdour, Boucraa And Smarawhere most of the resources of the subsoil); at the Democratic Republic of the Sahrawialways under the guidance of Polisario frontRomane today the control of the remaining 30% (mostly desert and poorly populated).

Both the contenders have never ceased to take advantage of every opportunity useful for internationalize The question, bending and manipulating the international politics of their respective allies and partners to their advantage. Although the territory is rich in Fafaters deposits and the seas are rich in fish resourcesthe conflict has substantially fallen into the oblivion, adding to the infinite list of the so -called “Frozen wars”.

Even if the Sahrawi cause has enjoyed a certain sympathy on a popular level and officially the United Nations consider western Sahara as “A territory to be taken off”therefore denying the Moroccan claims on it, concretely the most of the West ended up accepting the factual situationand some great powers such as United States and the France (traditional geostrategic partners of Rabat) now recognize the land of the Sahrawi people as “Integral part of the kingdom of Morocco”. This conclusion is obviously rejected by the Polisario front and its main sponsor, theAlgeriawhich for decades has been engaged in a sort of “Cold War” with Morocco for the Domain on the Maghreb and which sees theSahrawi independence Like a comfortable lever to unhinge the Moroccan state team.

Perspectives of wars and conflicts

Despite having passed 52 years from the beginning of the onset against Spain e 50 From the Moroccan invasion, the Sahrawi people still struggle to find the peace and one Independent homeland. Although the negotiations go on from 1991the Moroccans proved substantially disinterested in making concessions to enemies and indeed they preferred to close even more on rigid positions, imposing what they call “concrete facts on the field “: one demographic colonization who completely changed the face of western Sahara in the area under employment of Rabat, where i Moroccan constitute the 70% of the local population and sahrawi only the 30%; and the construction of a sand wall, said “Berma” which crosses the territory and separates the areas controlled by the fighters.

Numerous voices, today unheard, have risen over the past 3 decades to denounce the fact that the “status quo” is not indefinitely sustainable and that it, as well as the growing of the rivalry regional between Morocco and Algeriacould constitute the seed for the outbreak of a new devastating conflict that would have very serious repercussions on the stability, above all energyso much ofWest Africa how much of theEurope. Unfortunately the logic of “Game at zero sum”where each victory of one part corresponds to one defeat of the other, he imposed himself between the contenders and the negotiation of one peace of compromise it seems do not constitute an option for the contenders.