Western Sahara

The collapse of the Franco regime in Spain marked the end of Spain's once-great colonial empire in 1976. Western Sahara, a region just south of Morocco on the northwest coast of Africa that was administered by Madrid, was immediately claimed by both Morocco and Mauritania. However, a group appeared calling itself the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO) with Algerian support initiated an armed struggle for independence.

Broadcasting became an early objective of the guerilla group as within months of its founding two separate clandestine radio stations were launched, Voice of Free Sahara, and the National Radio of the Democratic Arab-Saharan Republic (Radio SADR). Both stations are believed to be broadcast from Algeria, however, claims are often made that they are in fact located within Western Sahara. Nevertheless, neither station has maintained a consistent schedule and both have silently spent most of their 25-year history off the air.

Although Mauritania withdrew its claims in 1979, the war continued until 1991 when a cease-fire was brokered by the United Nations and efforts to organize a referendum on independence were begun. The UN has since established the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), costing an annual $52 million according to their website, which since 1991 remains embroiled in a conflict on how to conduct an exact population census.

As if a gesture of welcome, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's Personal MINURSO Envoy, James Baker III, arrived in the region as the Frente POLISARIO and its Algerian sponsors reactivated one of the group's clandestine radio stations, Radio SADR. Morocco, in turn, has promptly switched one of its domestic channels onto Radio SADR's frequency in order to jam and destroy the clandestine station's signal.

Although the cease-fire remains in effect it is clear to all observors that the hostilities are now being thrown over the airwaves. With propaganda being hurled by all sides, the UN's question should not be how to precisely count people's heads but how to make the Algerian and Moroccan governments commit to peace - for the welfare of the Saharan people.

Reading:
Profile: MINURSO, United Nations, April 2000.

Bir Lehlu is the capital of Western Sahara and is controlled by the insurgents. Locations in Algeria include Algiers (from an old 50kW transmitter) or Tindouf, which is home to Saharan refugee camps.