Western Sahara Research Articles

Covert Qualitative Research as a Method to Study Human Rights Under Authoritarian Regimes

Abstract This article considers whether covert research methods may be an ethically acceptable method for doing human rights research in areas under control of authoritarian regimes, and, if so, how this research can and should be conducted. The author’s study on the rights of children living in Western Sahara under Moroccan control, where a covert qualitative research method was employed, is taken as a central case study. The article concludes that covert qualitative research in authoritarian zones is ethically acceptable, and sometimes even necessary, under three conditions: 1) the research aims to contribute to the protection of human rights; 2) research subjects remain anonymous; 3) there is no other, overt way to obtain the necessary data. The article aims to present a challenging yet sometimes necessary and valuable method for studying human rights in areas that otherwise may be inaccessible to human rights researchers. It contributes to a longer standing debate on the ethical acceptability of covert research methods, as well as to provide practical guidance to researchers (both academic and non-academic) who are considering using this method to study human rights violations.

Cultural diplomacy and the reconfiguration of soft power: Evidence from Morocco

ABSTRACT During the reign of King Mohammed VI, Morocco experienced a rapid expansion in regional economic and military ties that have given a gradual impetus to a shift in regional power constellations. But in the shadow of this hard power trajectory, the Moroccan regime is increasingly capitalizing on its soft power resources as well. In this paper, we demonstrate how the kingdom’s considerable cultural capital – arising from religion, historicity, and tradition – has become a political instrument to improve the country’s outward image. The regime inter alia employs cultural politics and public diplomacy measures in Islamic and Jewish religious policy, through the commercialization of material and immaterial cultural heritage and through the massive investment into cultural infrastructure to construct a new nation brand and subsequentially solidify Morocco’s regional and international soft power standing. This, in turn, has enabled Morocco to more successfully pursue its foreign policy goals, first and foremost its quest to gain sovereignty over the Western Sahara. The research is based on media analysis and original data from semi-structured interviews conducted between February 2020 and February 2021.

Topography and wind moulding directions of autumn migration between Europe and the West African savannas

This review on autumn migratory directions is thought as a complement to an earlier overview on the vertical distribution of bird migration between the Baltic Sea and the Sahara (Bruderer et al. in J Ornithol 159:315–336, 2018): (1) A broad synopsis shows that nocturnal migration is generally SW-oriented above the western half of the European mainland, bending gradually southward above the western Sahara and shifting SE at the Sahara-Sahel transition. Important deviations of the SW stream occur along mountain ranges and coastlines. (2) Taking the Alps as a case example of such a leading-line reveals that the effect of the Alpine arc on migratory directions increases from E to W, becoming most prominent in Switzerland where the northern border and the main ridges of the Alps bend from WSW towards SSW. Thus, the migratory stream gets increasingly aligned with the course of the mountain range and reaches highest concentrations in the Swiss Lowlands. (3) Simultaneously recorded tracking radar data on nocturnal migration above Southern Germany and above the Swiss Lowlands show similar distributions of headings, but different tracks (flight directions over ground). (4) Generally, a large proportion of the tracks above the rather flat country N of the Rhine is shifted towards S or SE by frequent westerly winds. This contrasts with barely drifting birds facing south-westerly headwinds canalized along the Jura Mountains in the Swiss Lowlands. (5) Tracks and headings under varying wind conditions above Southern Germany visualise different reactions to following vs opposing winds as well as to side-winds from the right and left. (6) Radar-tracked night migrants above three different sites in south-western Switzerland show their reactions to different topographical conditions which vary from moderate leading effects of the Jura Mountains at a lowland site, to extreme funnelling at an Alpine pass, and wide scatter when a large Alpine valley perpendicular to the principal SW-direction of migration is crossed. (7) Distinguishing between three height zones reveals that (a) the proportion of SSW migration increases with height; this besides a few birds drifting across the Jura Mountains; (b) at the Alpine pass, forward migration is canalised as a narrow stream and complemented by notable reverse movements, while the highest level (above the crests) is characterised by wide directional scatter including moderate southward drift; (c) the proportion of movements along the SE–NW leading Rhone Valley decreases with altitude, while the proportion of SW migration increases, and the distribution approximates that at the pass in the highest zone. (8) This information leads to ideas for continuative studies, particularly on reverse movements, drift and compensation in the Alps and their northern approach areas.

Western Sahara: deep differences over conflict settlement

The conflict in Western Sahara has been going on for thirty-five years, and neither side has won. The parties to the conflict are in an all-or-nothing logic regarding the outcome of this conflict: Morocco preaches the autonomy of the Sahara as the part of the kingdom, and the Algerians and Saharans from the Frente Polisario waives the demands for autonomy. However, in the absence of a clear victory of one of the participants, the political solution need necessarily include a compromise reflecting the balance of power. In an effort to pacify and develop a region that could become a haven for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Washington, Paris and Madrid could support the new Representative of the Secretary-General in finding a solution that could satisfy all parties, giving this result aspects of compromise. Nevertheless, they will have to take into account both the Saharans as a whole and the geostrategic balance of the region. This article discusses the problems of decolonization and interethnic conflicts. This conflict concentrates the opposition of several geopolitical blocs in one place. On the one hand, he opposes two regional powers: Morocco and Algeria. On the other hand, it opposes two blocs consisting of Morocco and Western countries, against Algeria, a traditional ally of Russia, and large African countries such as Nigeria. This article highlights the inadequacy of international organizations. The issue of stabilizing the situation in Western Sahara is even more important today in the context of Islamic terrorism in the Sahel. Terrorism is spreading in economically and politically unstable countries. The question of the independence of Western Sahara or its integration as an autonomous territory within Morocco must be resolved before terrorism intervenes in Sahari affairs.

Nebkhas: An essay in aeolian biogeomorphology

Nebkhas are a type of anchored dune that forms by sediment accumulation around grasses, shrubs or trees. This paper outlines their importance, their distribution at global and local scales, summarises what is known about their morphology, discusses those plants with which they are associated, draws attention to the materials of which they are composed, and then concludes with a discussion of their ages. Nebkhas are very widespread in dry and coastal environments. They have considerable importance because they can be ‘islands of fertility’ and have major hydrological and biological effects. They can, if eroded, be major sources of dust emission. Examples of coastal nebkhas are known from both temperate areas and from lower latitude drylands, as along the Caspian shoreline in Iran, Kuwait, northern Peru, Namibia, Western Sahara, the Makran, southwest Madagascar, and Mauritania. Dryland nebkhas have been described from numerous areas, with concentrations of studies in Kuwait, the southwest USA, northwest China, and Iran. Within an area with suitable climatic conditions, nebkhas do not occur everywhere. Certain conditions need to be met for their development and these are illustrated with examples from the Tarim and Qaidam basins of China, the Lut of Iran, northwest Argentina, and the Namib. For this, Google Earth was employed. The heights of these features range from a matter of centimeters to as much as 20 m. There is a considerable quantity of data on the plants that are associated with the development of nebkhas. They have to have certain qualities for this role: ability to withstand drought, tolerate salt, thrive on sand burial, have wide shallow rooting systems to obtain water from fog and occasional rain events, extract moisture from groundwater, withstand sand abrasion, and develop adventitious roots. Although nebkhas are normally thought of as a type of sand dune, and most nebkhas are indeed composed of sand-sized material, largely consisting of quartz, there are many nebkhas which contain appreciable amounts of silt and clay, as well as salts such as gypsum. Although some nebkhas are ephemeral features, various dating techniques have shown that they can be decades, centuries and even millennia old.

A commentary of “Using satellites to map trees”: 10 remarkable discoveries from 2020 in Nature

Brandt et al. reported the results of their analysis from high-resolution satellite images, covering more than 1.3 million square kilometers of the Western Sahara and Sahel in West Africa. They mapped the locations and sizes of approximately 1.8 billion trees. Prior to this, scientists had never made such a detailed map of trees in such a large area. Commercial satellites have begun to collect data and can detect small ground objects that are 1 square meter or less in size. Therefore, the field of terrestrial remote sensing may have a significant advance from mainly a comprehensive landscape-scale measurement to mapping the position and canopy size of each tree at a regional or even global scale. This progress will revolutionize how we think, monitor, simulate, and manage the global terrestrial ecosystem.①①Original source in Chinese: Huaguao Huang, Using satellites to map trees, Bulletin of National Natural Science Foundation of China. 35 (2) (2021) 239-240.

Migratory Pathways, Stopover Locations and Wintering Grounds of Southern Spanish Eurasian Scops Owls Otus scops

Little is known about the migration and wintering distribution of Eurasian Scops Owls Otus scops. We deployed GPS-loggers on breeding Scops Owls from a southern Spanish population to analyse migratory routes and migration timing of this trans-Saharan migrant. Tag deployment had no short- or long-term effects on Scops Owls. Individuals followed rapid autumn and spring migrations along the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara and the western edge of the Sahara desert. South Spanish breeding Scops Owls wintered across a large area of West Africa; within Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, where they stayed apart from one another for 4-5 months. Wintering sites were primarily in tree-covered habitats suggesting that these are important for Scops Owl conservation year-round.—Avilés, J.M., Rodríguez-Ruiz, J., Cruz-Miralles, Á., Abad-Gómez, J.M. & Parejo, D. (2022). Migratory pathways, stopover locations and wintering grounds of southern Spanish Eurasian Scops Owls Otus scops. Ardeola, 69: 129-139.

The persistence of partition: Boundary-making, imperialism, and international law

This article implores political geographers to engage with the sub-discipline's imperial roots in which international law was foundational. It does so by revisiting the practice of partition – defined here as an imposed boundary – which remains central to historical and current-day imperialism. This is the case, both regarding longstanding partitions, such as Northern Ireland, Kashmir, the Chagos Islands/British Indian Ocean Territory, Cyprus, Korea, and Western Sahara, and with regard to proposals to impose new partitions in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Palestine, and in the South China Sea. By adopting an historical perspective on the geopolitics of bordering, partition can be understood as an imposed boundary, in which the negotiators, to the extent they were consulted, were not presented with a free choice. Partitions in colonial situations only became illegal during the height of decolonization and the Cold War confrontation with the West, when the Soviet Union and Third World succeeded in modifying international law in a way that required the colonial powers to obtain the consent of the representatives of the communities whose territories they proposed to partition. As the world enters a more uncertain period, with increasing geopolitical competition, partition could make a comeback, in various guises, in which it may become necessary to pass judgment on the legality of partition, and not just its efficacy.

Annual and early summer variability in WRF-CHEM simulated West African PM10 during 1960–2016

We examine annual PM10 concentrations across the Sahara and Sahel using the Weather, Research and Forecast (WRF) model with the GOCART dust module during 1960–2016 driven at the lateral boundaries with the NCEP reanalysis. We show that there is a simulated annual downward trend in surface PM10 concentrations in Senegal and Cabo Verde after the 1980s, which is similar to earlier findings. The analysis of simulated PM10 concentrations over the period of 1960–2016 during May, June and July (MJJ) suggests that there has been an increase in the vertical transport of dust over the Western Sahara which is then horizontally transported downstream at approximately 700 hPa for Cabo Verde. This suggests that dust transport to the Eastern Atlantic, which could be further transported downstream towards the Caribbean and United States, may have increased during the early 21st century.

The Western Sahara conflict in the Algerian Moroccan relations

Algeria and Morocco have for centuries kept an uneasy relationship of conflict and doubt which shaped the Maghreb region history. In fact, both states shared the same borders but never shared same policies. This caused the relational gap at both governmental level and social grounds. As a result, the hostility and continuing tension has remained at top in their foreign policies for most of their mutual history. Consequently, the Western Sahara conflict has been undoubtedly an important driver of one of the most critical problems to have confronted the two countries in the course of their bilateral relations. This article will examine the impact of this conflict on the geopolitical landscape of the Maghreb region and its implications on the Maghreb’s regional security and integrity

Western Sahara

This is a datasheet on Western Sahara.

Ceuta, Melilla Gibraltar y el Sáhara Occidental. Estrategias españolas y europeas para las ciudades de frontera exterior en África, y los peñones de Vélez y Alhucemas

CEUTA, MELILLA, GIBRALTAR AND WESTERN SAHARA. SPANISH AND EUROPEAN STRATEGIES FOR THE EXTERNAL BORDER CITIES IN AFRICA, AND THE ROCKS OF VÉLEZ AND ALHUCEMAS In Spain-Morocco relations, there is an imbalance in favour of Morocco in the territorial issues of the bilateral relationship. Various measures to consolidate and strengthen Ceuta and Melilla in the European Union are analysed, with short, medium- and long-term strategies that take into account the interests of the cities and Spain in the Strait of Gibraltar Area and Region.The objective of consolidating the EU in Spain’s Cities, Islands and Rocks on the African coast must be permanent in Spanish action, especially after the Ceuta crisis of 2021, with Morocco’s use of mass immigration as a diplomatic weapon against Spain; and the subsequent Spanish shift to Western Sahara in 2022. These events confer a certain international-legal precariousness on Ceuta and Melilla, given Spain’s lack of reaction to Morocco’s serious breaches of its international obligations.This paper analyses short- and medium-term strategies, such as the establishment of a European outermost region, and especially proposes the creation of a specific status in the EU adapted to the needs of Ceuta and Melilla, as ‘EU External Border Cities in Africa’, given the absolutely unique nature of their circumstances in the European and Mediterranean context.Long-term strategies that can serve to strengthen the Cities and serve Spain’s interests in the Strait region are also analysed. These include the possible analogy of future solutions for Gibraltar as an internationalised city linked to the EU. Along the same lines of the search for strategies, the possible geostrategic interest for Spain of the option of dividing up the Saharan territory, proposed by the UN Secretary General in 2002, as one of the options for resolving the Western Sahara conflict, is analysed. Finally, it analyses the situation of legal limbo in which the islands and rocks, particularly the rocks of Vélez and Al Hoceima, find themselves in Spanish law. The need for a policy of ‘Lawfare’ is raised, intensifying Spanish and European normative references. It is also proposed to consider new functions and meanings for the Peñones as places of memory and historical interpretation of the Rif wars of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Reagan's Strategy for North Africa Aggravated the Crisis in Western Sahara

President Reagan gave a military boost to relations with Morocco, the likes of which had not been seen since the start of the Western Sahara conflict in 1975. The Republican president’s strategy was to strengthen his ally so that it might emerge victorious from the war that had begun with its occupation of the Spanish colony. Reagan was a staunch believer in the use of force to resolve international conflicts, all of which were viewed from the standpoint of confrontation with the USSR. He did not care about the evidence stacking up against his argument in this case. Little did it matter that the conflict in the Sahara showed no signs of belonging to the long list of proxy wars between the two powers. Reality was invented by creating alternative facts. In this article it will become clear how erratic the US Republican administration’s viewpoint was. The war in the Sahara should never have been seen as a link in the Cold War, but as a local conflict in a specific region of North-West Africa. Such thinking has prolonged this human drama for decades, making it one of the most enduring and longest-lasting wars today.

Employee motivation, job satisfaction, live-work balance, material reward and career aspirations

Edward Affainie is experienced security and international relations professional with years of experience in the Ghana Armed Forces and the United Nations in complex political and security situations. Currently, he is the Deputy Security Adviser for the United Nations Department of Safety and Security in Zimbabwe and a Doctoral Researcher at the Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) Department at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He previously worked at the United Nations Headquarters, where he moderated memorandums of understanding between the United Nations and member states to deploy troops for peacekeeping missions. He deployed and managed complex peacekeeping missions from startup to liquidation and served in various capacities in different peacekeeping missions in countries such as Cambodia, Southern Lebanon, Western Sahara, Liberia, Sudan, and South Sudan. His research interests are in the causes of war and conflict, management, leadership, governance, and security. His extensive length of professional experience as a military officer and an international civil servant contributes to his research interests. He retired from the Ghana Armed Forces at his peak career in 2010 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and as the Deputy Director of Army Peacekeeping Operations at the Army Headquarters. He is a graduate of the Nigeria Command and Staff College and the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. Abstract: Companies and Organisations’ existence, stability, and productivity depend mainly on their employees. This essay explores the factors that affect employee motivation, intention, and behaviour. It also examines three of the most recent studies on employee motivation and subsequently analyses these studies’ findings against their chosen theoretical frameworks and assesses their contributions to the framework. The first study by Saraswathi (2011) hypothesises that different professions can influence how employees perceive motivational factors. The second study by Shaikh et al. (2019) hypothesises that motivators and hygiene factors are equally important in improving employee performance. The third study by Kyndt et al. (2012), hypothesises that although intrinsic motivators can contribute to employee’s intention levels, satisfiers may make the inconvenience disappear but do not alter the employees’ intention or behaviours. The paper identifies gaps in knowledge that arise from these studies and further provides future research recommendations to understand employee motivation further. The essay provides gaps in the study of employee motivation for researchers in this field to explore further to contribute to knowledge in the field.

A review of: „Conflict and Peace in Western Sahara: The Role of the UN's Peacekeeping Mission (MINURSO)" edited by János Besenyő, R. Joseph Huddleston, and Yahia H. Zoubir

A review of: „Conflict and Peace in Western Sahara: The Role of the UN's Peacekeeping Mission (MINURSO)" edited by János Besenyő, R. Joseph Huddleston, and Yahia H. Zoubir

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Peacekeepers on African Soil during COVID-19 : Procedures, Challenges, Lessons

Active United Nation missions on African soil are: MINURSO in Western Sahara, UNMISS in South Sudan, MINUSMA in Mali, MONUSCO in Democratic Republic of the Congo, MINUSCA in Central African Republic and UNISFA in Abyei. Peacekeeping has always been highly dynamic and has evolved in the face of new issues. But, in addition to the challenges they face while assisting host countries on the difficult path from conflict to peace, peacekeepers have recently had to deal with procedures and obstacles caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the article is to investigate the performance of everyday tasks in the COVID-19 era with an emphasis on issues related to the availability of basic supplies for UN peacekeepers, personal protective equipment, medical services, welfare, travel restrictions, and connections with the resident population in Africa. In this paper, we will present the results of qualitative research (in-depth interviews) on the experiences of UN staff from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) who served in the mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in the period 2020-2022. In anticipation of malaria, typhoid, hepatitis, salmonella, etc., the peacekeepers faced a new unknown disease, a shortage of medicines, they had no access to hospitals, and personal protective masks were made from their underwear. In some areas the local population believed that COVID19 was a “mysterious disease” brought and spread by peacekeepers and this fact shed new light on (non)cooperation with UN staff. Apart from the UN, the mission staff were (not) provided with support and assistance in various ways by the countries which they came from.

Record of Additional Middle Eocene Vertebrate Remains from the Mikir Hills, NE India: Implications on Paleoenvironment and Paleobiogeography

The fossiliferous middle Eocene deposits of Sylhet Limestone of Mikir Hills have yielded vertebrate and invertebrate faunas. The fossil assemblages recorded in this contribution consist of shark, ray, crocodile, conical tooth, broken fragments and echinoderm spines. Ray and crocodile tooth are reporting for the first time from the Mikir Hills. Paleoenvironmental analysis based on the fossil fish assemblage in association with invertebrate (foraminifera) remains and sedimentogical observations suggest a shallow marine environment ranging from open marine, inner neritic to more proximal coastal settings. Also, the presence of common marine elements (similar faunas) from Kutch, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Assam (India), New Hampshire, Libya, Iraq, Iran, North Western Sahara (Algeria), Tanzania (East Africa), Italy, Germany, Southern North Sea basin (Europe) based on previous published works and the present finding testifies to the connection of the Tethys Sea during Lutetian-Bartonian of middle Eocene.

Dust storm simulation over the Sahara Desert (Moroccan and Mauritanian regions) using HYSPLIT

AbstractSaharan dust storms are major events that occur normally in the summer and affect the air quality in various regions of the world. In particular, Saharan regions in Morocco and Mauritania actively contribute to dust storms. The Saharan outbreak that took place between 14 and 19 of June 2020 was one of the most severe Saharan dust storms in recent years. This paper investigates the PM10 emissions and concentrations during the 4 days of the dust storm in the region of Western Sahara of Morocco and Mauritania and the transport of the PM10 from the area of study to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico using Hybrid Single‐Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) software with PM10 emission model and cluster analysis. We also analyse the effect of the transported PM10 particles on the concentration level in the Southern parts of the United States and the Martinique islands. The results showed that the average PM10 concentration below the altitude of 100 m during the dust storm was higher than 100 μg/m3 in most of the regions such as Dakhla in Morocco, Nouakchott, Adrar and Tiris Zemmour in Mauritania. This is confirmed by Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) values between 0.7 and 1 retrieved by MODIS‐Aqua for those areas. Furthermore, PM10 particles transported across the Atlantic Ocean affected the concentrations observed in the Caribbean Basin, where hourly PM10 reached 372 μg/m3 and the dust top layer was found between 4 and 4.5 km above ground level. In addition, HYSPLIT cluster analysis results revealed several PM10 particle source areas in Western Sahara such as Bir Anzerane in Morocco, Nouakchott and Tichit in Mauritania that contributed to the increase of PM10 concentrations to an Unhealthy level in the Texas and Florida States in the United States.

An analytically derived delineation of the West African Coastal Province based on bivalves

AbstractAimTo assess the pattern of biotic regions (BR) and their boundaries, to detect chorotypes and to relate these patterns to key environmental factors.LocationEastern Atlantic Ocean.Time periodRecent.Taxon studiedBivalvia.MethodsDistributions were scored for 595 species. Operational geographical units are classified hierarchically using Baroni‐Urbani & Buser similarity index, clusters were assessed for statistical significance with the ‘RMacoqui 1.0’ software using G tests of independence, and chorotypes were inferred likewise from similarity between species distributions.ResultsThree strong biotic boundaries delimit four BR: (1) European Atlantic and Mediterranean; (2) West African, from western Sahara to southern Angola; (3) Baia dos Tigres/Namibia; and (4) Saint Helena/Ascension. The West African BR is subdivided by two weak boundaries into three subordinate BR: the tropical region proper, the north‐western African transition zone and the cluster (southern Angola/São Tomé/Cape Verde Islands). Of the 429 species present in West Africa, 261 (60.7%) are endemic, and 19 genera (7.2%) are endemic. Sixteen chorotypes were identified; the European BR is correlated with chorotypes C5 (149 species mostly European and Mediterranean) and C3 (38 species mostly in northern Europe), whereas the West African BR is mainly characterized by chorotype C6 (221 species). Some discontinuous distribution patterns of tropical West African species were identified as chorotypes, but subordinate to chorotype C6. The West African BR is mainly characterized by sea surface temperature and chlorophyll; characterization without the islands also involved the extensive sandy coast. The north‐western African transition region is characterized by an arid climate and few rivers and influenced by seasonal upwelling. The cluster of southern Angola, Sao Tomé and Cape Verdes contrasts with the remainder of West Africa in having a predominantly rocky shore.Main conclusionsThe present analyses provide an objective regionalization based on species occurrences, which supports the traditional recognition of West Africa as a major biotic region with a high level of endemism. Attention is called on that the unique endemic component is insufficiently represented in current marine protected areas.

Hijos de las nubes i 45 lat marzeń: uchodźcy Saharawi na terytorium Algierii

Hijos de las nubes and 45 Years of Dreams: Saharawi Refugees in Algeria Over the years, the issue of the protracted exile of the Saharawi people in Algeria as a consequence of the so far unresolved conflict over the Western Sahara has become a highly politicized problem. The protracted standstill and the lack of clear prospects for a referendum that would ultimately end the conflict make it questionable that the Sahrawi refugee situation will change quickly. The article attempts to analyse the status of the Sahrawi people, taking into account the uniqueness of the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria and their importance for the still unsolved problem of Western Sahara. It is based largely on qualitative data collected from fieldwork in Algeria (including Sahrawi refugee camps), Mauritania and Morocco, and the Rabat-controlled territory of Western Sahara, as well as interviews and conversations with representatives of Spanish NGOs involved in helping Sahrawi refugees, Sahrawi living or temporarily staying in Spain and researchers working at Spanish universities.