Things are heating up in Western Sahara
A desert dispute is aggravating the old rivalry between Algeria and Morocco
THE TEA was highly caffeinated, but the mood was dour. As the night wore on, the sound of artillery could be heard in the distance. Fifteen or so Sahrawi soldiers had set up camp under one of the rare thickets in the Western Saharan desert. The youngest among them, looking no older than teenagers, scoured the sky for surveillance drones. “War is the only way,” said one. A little before midnight a radio operator received news that Moroccan batteries were opening fire. Then came the thunderous echo of falling missiles.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The disputed desert”
From the November 6th 2021 edition
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