Issue 297 / December 1998

Desert dawn - War & Peace in Western Sahara

Editor's letter

State of fear
Chris Brazier's desert journey begins with an uncomfortable encounter with the secret police in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

Map
Occupied land, liberated zones, refugee camps.

Simply: Western Sahara history

The unrelenting sky
Inside the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria... why these are the most educated people in Africa ... the old man who greens the desert.

Moma's choice
Young Saharawi women seize a new role with both hands... while Western Sahara's most powerful woman talks about a personal tragedy.

WESTERN SAHARA - THE FACTS

Up against the Wall
Into the zones held by Polisario's liberation army... Morocco's fortified wall... underground hospitals and the world's most informal army.

Catastrophe and cavalry
The sorry story of the UN in Western Sahara from bias, intimidation and pusillanimity to last-ditch rescue. Illustrated by Anne Cakebread

Light in the darkness
Peace seems closer than ever. But is it really going to happen? And if it does, what kind of country will Western Sahara be?

The President-in-waiting
An interview with the president of Western Sahara, Muhammad Abdelaziz.

Connections and Action directory
How two children from the camps were hosted by the Woodcraft Folk in Scotland and Wales, and contact information (including e-mail and Web site addresses) for organisations and people involved with Western Sahara .

Please send us your comments on any of the articles in this on-line issue

Letters
Letter from Colombia
Update
The NI Interview with Angelica Alvarez Cerda
Reviews: plus Edward Said classic
NI Crossword
Endpiece: by David Brettell
Country profile: Bulgaria

FRONT COVER: The colour photo by CHRIS BRAZIER shows Metou Ehel Never, who is featured in the linked article, Moma's Choice; the black-and-white photo by ERIC and RENAUD GIRARD/Gamma/Frank Spooner is of a Polisario guerrilla in action before the 1991 ceasefire.
MAGAZINE DESIGNED BY ALAN HUGHES.
ONLINE MAGAZINE MAINTAINED BY SIMON LOFFLER

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