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The Berm of Western Sahara (Also known as the Moroccan Wall) is an approximately 2,700 km-long defensive structure, mostly a sand wall (or "berm"), running through Western Sahara and the southeastern portion of Morocco. It acts as a separation barrier between the Moroccan-controlled areas and the rump Polisario-controlled section of the territory that lies along its eastern and southern border. A berm is a level space or shelf separating two features. ... The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro) is a Sahrawi movement working for the independence of...

Terminology

The structure goes by a variety of names, with Moroccan Wall and The Berm being some of those often used. Moroccan authorities prefer the latter. Parties sympathetic to Western Sahara's independence and the Polisario often use the Polisario's term, the "Wall of Shame". The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro) is a Sahrawi movement working for the independence of... This article uses excessive clichés and jargon associated with brick-and-mortar walls dividing geographical entities: wall of shame can also be used for a non-dividing wall, virtual or real, where the surface is used to collect or advertise shameful content, examples: [1] - [2]; also layout-wise the...

Physical structure

The fortifications lie in uninhabited or very sparsely inhabited territory. They consist of sand and stone walls or berms about three meters in height, with bunkers, fences and landmines throughout. Military bases, artillery posts and airfields dot the interior behind the wall at regular intervals, and radar masts and other electronic surveillance equipment scan the areas in front of it. Patterns in the sand Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles. ... The rocky side of a mountain creek near Orosí, Costa Rica. ... A berm is a level space or shelf separating two features. ... A fence in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. ... Minefield redirects here. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed...

In all, six lines of berms have been constructed ^[1]. The main ("external") line of fortifications extends for about 2,500 km. It runs east from Guerguerat on the coast in the extreme south of Western Sahara near the Mauritanian town of Nouadhibou, closely paralelling the Mauritanian border for about 200 km, before turning northwards beyond Techla. It then runs generally north-eastward, leaving Guelta Zemmur, Smara, and Hamza in Moroccan-held territory, before turning east and again closely following the Algerian border as it approaches Morocco. A section extends about 200 km into south-eastern Morocco ^[2][3] Nouadhibou (formerly Port Etienne; pop. ... Smara, also Semara, is a Sahrawi city (50,000 in 1999) in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. ...

Significant lines of fortifications also lie deep within the Moroccan-controlled area ^[4]. Their exact number and location are a source of some confusion for overseas commentaries ^[5][6].

All major settlements, the capital Laayoune, and the phosphate mine at Bou Craa lie far on the Moroccan held side. Laâyoune Laâyoune, also El Aaiún, is the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, a former Spanish country now mostly controlled and occupied by Morocco. ... Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ... Stop changing it. ...

The fortifications were progressively built by Moroccan forces starting in 1981, and formally ending on 16 April 1987 ^[1]. Its main function was to exclude the guerrilla fighters of the Polisario Front, who have sought Western Saharan independence since before Spain ended its colonial occupation in 1975, from the Moroccan-controlled part of the territory. April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Consequences

Effectively, after the completion of the wall, Morocco has controlled the bulk of Western Sahara territory that lies to the north and west of it. The Polisario-founded Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claims control of the mostly uninhabited "Free Zone", which comprises all areas to the east of the barrier. Units from the United Nations mission MINURSO separate the two sides. Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... The Free Zone is in yellow on the map. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ...

Many of Western Sahara's native Sahrawi people live as refugees in camps in the Tindouf province of Algeria, where the Polisario is based. This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Tindouf, also written Tinduf, (Arabic: تندوف) is a city and wilaya in the west of Algeria, population 30,000. ...

International reaction

Western attention to the border wall, and to the Morocco annexation of the Western Sahara in general, has been minimal, apart from in Spain. Once a year, a small demonstration is held against the barrier by a few human rights activists, many of them Italian. ^{[citation needed]} Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

In Africa, the annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco has attracted somewhat more attention: Algeria supports the Polisario "in its long-running desert war to oppose Moroccan control of the disputed area;"^{[7] [8]} The Organization of African Unity/African Union and United Nations have proposed negotiated solutions. A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Flag of the Organisation of African Unity, later also used by the African Union. ... Anthem: Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together Capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Membership 53 member states Official languages The languages of Africa, as well as Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese Formation - As Organisation of African Unity - As AU - May 25, 1963 - July 9, 2002 Chairman of the African Union John... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

Construction of the wall

System of the Moroccan Walls in Western Sahara (territory outside them in yellow)

The wall was built in six stages, and the area behind the wall was expanded from a small area near Morocco in the north, to most of the western and central part of the country gradually. The walls built were: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (904x727, 37 KB) Summary Map of the w:Moroccan Wall in w:Western Sahara - built over several stages, shows the six walls built, & when the territory was behind Moroccan wall. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (904x727, 37 KB) Summary Map of the w:Moroccan Wall in w:Western Sahara - built over several stages, shows the six walls built, & when the territory was behind Moroccan wall. ...

• 1st wall (Aug 1980-Jun 1982) surrounding the "useful triangle" of El-Aaiun, Smara and the phosphate mines at Bu Craa.
• 2nd wall (Dec 1983-Jan 1984)
• 3rd wall (Apr 1984-May 1984)
• 4th wall (Dec 1984-Jan 1985)
• 5th wall (May-Sep 1985)
• 6th wall (Feb-Apr 1987)

El-Aaiún or Laâyoune (Arabic: العيون, transliterated al-`ayūn), is the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony now mostly controlled and occupied by Morocco. ... Smara, also Semara, is a Sahrawi city (50,000 in 1999) in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. ... Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ... Bou Craa (Bo Craa, Bu Craa) is a town in the Saguia el-Hamra regions of northern Western Sahara, south and slightly west of the capital, El Aaiún. ...

See also

• Separation barrier
• History of Western Sahara
• Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• Ceuta border fence

Separation barriers (separation walls, security fences) are constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border or to separate two populations. ... // Western Sahara area has never formed a state in the modern sense of the word. ... Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... The Ceuta border fence is a separation barrier between Morocco and the Autonomous City of Ceuta, in Spain. ...

References and Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Milestones of the conflict, page 2. Website of the United Nations MINURSO mission.
2. ^ United Nations Map No. 3691 Rev. 53 United Nations, October 2006 (Colour), Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Cartographic Section. Depicts the deployment of the MINURSO mission, as well as the Wall location.
3. ^ See also e.g. this satellite montage at Google Maps for a section of the wall in Moroccan territory. The northernmost fort that is clearly distinguishable can be seen here. (Google Maps, as of 30 November 2006)
4. ^ For example, a sand berm with fortifications much like on the main external line can be seen here, reaching the coast near Imlili, over 200 km north of the main external berm along the southern border. (Google Maps, as of 30 November 2006)
5. ^ Western Sahara Online website, Moroccan Wall of Shame (author and date unknown)
6. ^ (in Dutch) Marokkaanse veiligheidsmuur al twee decennia onomstreden, CIDI Israel website, Nieuwsbrief (2004)
7. ^ "Security Problems with Neighboring States", Country Studies/Area Handbook Series, Library of Congress Federal Research Division. (retrieved May 1, 2006)
8. ^ Williams, Ian and Zunes, Stephen, "Self Determination Struggle in the Western Sahara Continues to Challenge the UN", Foreign Policy in Focus Policy Report, September 2003. (retrieved May 1, 2006)

The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Great Hall interior. ...

External links

• Map of Western Sahara, with the location of the wall marked Produced by the United Nations, showing the deployment of the MINURSO mission as of October 2006,. Map No. 3691 Rev. 53 United Nations, October 2006 (Colour), Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Cartographic Section
• Landmine Monitor, LM Report 2006, Morocco [ http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/morocco.html ]
• Landmine Monitor, LM Report 2006, Western Sahara [ http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/western_sahara.html ]
• Landmine Monitor, LM Report 2006, Algeria [ http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/algeria ]
• online slideshow created by the United Nations MINURSO mission. Includes an aerial photograph of the barrier on slide 11.

The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ... U.S. Army soldier removes fuse from a Russian-made mine to clear a minefield outside of Fallujah, Iraq. ... U.S. Army soldier removes fuse from a Russian-made mine to clear a minefield outside of Fallujah, Iraq. ... U.S. Army soldier removes fuse from a Russian-made mine to clear a minefield outside of Fallujah, Iraq. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ...

Satellite views

(Google Maps)

• fence with accumulated sand
• wall with fort
• wall smothered by dune with fort nearby
• wall smothered by dune with fort
• road cut by fence
• sand piled up high on the wall
• 5th wall with inhabited mesa
• disused fort on 5th wall
• abandoned fort and section of 5th wall
• sand piled up high on the wall
• end of the road in the south with compound and fort
• wall going over an abandoned fort
• in mountainous terrain
• forts in the south
• fort and wall

See also

• Wall of Shame
• Melilla border fence
• Ceuta border fence
• United States–Mexico barrier