Moroccan wall

Moroccan Wall, Security Wall or Western Sahara Wall is a set of eight defensive walls with a length of more than 2,720 km built by Morocco in the occupied territory of Western Sahara. It is a military zone with bunkers, fences and minefields, built in order to protect the territory effectively occupied by Morocco from the incursions of the Polisario Front, and prevent the return of Saharawi refugees to the territory.

Features

The construction was inspired by the Bar Lev Line, built by Israel along the Suez Canal; the wall was built by the Moroccan army, with the help of Israeli experts and financial assistance from Saudi Arabia.

Construction was carried out in several phases, each of which expanded the territory controlled by the Moroccan army. Thus, in many places the wall is actually a consecutive set of different walls.

Every four or five kilometers a military company is deployed, generally infantry, but also other bodies, such as paratroopers. Every 15 km there is a radar to inform nearby artillery batteries, towards the interior it is mined territory, fenced, in addition to having obstacles, such as sand or stone walls (normally less than 1 meter). There is talk of a figure between 10 and 40 million mines.

It is defended by some 100,000 Moroccan soldiers. To counter any possible surprise attack in the desert, the Moroccan army has put in place a surveillance system along the entire length of the wall, ranging from simple alarm systems to Rasura and AN/PPS-15 type radars that can detect movement in a radius of up to 60 kilometers.

Context

Construction of the wall began in 1980 to keep two thirds of Western Sahara, where the Bucraa phosphate mines are located, as well as the coastal area, which is rich in fishing, out of the reach of the Sahrawis. The territory beyond the wall is under the control of the Polisario Front, in what they call Liberated Territories, and a hostile zone, part of the Sahara desert that has almost no economic importance.

According to the Moroccan government, its objectives are:

• Protecting Saharan military actions from the most important cities
• Protect phosphate deposits and fishing wealth
• Create a force concentration for a better defense
• Eliminate or reduce the surprise factor
• Obstacize any offensive or armed action
• Limit the effect of guerrilla warfare

International context

Women protesting against the wall.

In Europe, the most opposed to the wall and therefore to Moroccan sovereignty over Saharawi territory, have been mainly human rights and humanitarian organizations, although they have little political support, mainly Spanish and Italian. During the last two years, demonstrations have been held in the vicinity of the wall with the support of the Polisario Front and in the vicinity of Tifariti.

In Africa, Algeria is a traditional ally of the Sahrawis, and is a firm supporter of the territory's independence, and therefore very critical of the occupation protected by the wall. This country supports the Polisario for several reasons. In the 1960s, Morocco wanted to extend its territory not only to the former Spanish colony but also to Mauritania, Senegambia, Mali and areas bordering Algeria, which led to fighting with the latter between September and October 1963 (known as the War of the Sands).

Parts of the Moroccan wall go in for several km. in Mauritanian territory in two areas of its route.

The OAU and the UN with MINURSO have repeatedly tried to achieve a peaceful end to the situation since the ceasefire of 1991, which manages to end decades of estrangement and estrangement of families, separated by the largest active wall in the world, highly militarized in addition, from the very beginning of its construction as such.