Situated on the Mediterranean, just a short distance from Spain and the rest of Europe, Morocco attracts tens of millions of tourists every year. They flock to see the iconic mosques and bazaars.  But there's another, much larger structure that you won't find in any tourist guides and is seldom talked about. 

It's a 2700 kilometer long barrier wall constructed of dirt and brick that runs through the heart of the Sahara Desert.  And for the people living in its shadow, it's a symbol of an ongoing occupation and decades long period of oppression.  In this episode, I speak with Jacob Mundi, professor from Colgate University, an expert on the subject of Morocco's illegal decades long occupation of Western Sahara and the refugee crisis it created that now spans generations. 

Guest: Prof. Jacob Mundy

Links

Stephen Zunes, Jacob Mundy

Jacob Mundy on violence in the Middle East

If you found this topic interesting I have previously covered many of the subjects we mentioned in passing. Please check out my back catalogue to learn more about Mauritania (Modern Slavery) Mali (Songhai and Hamdullahi empires), Islamic extremism (Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Hezbollah, Guantanamo Bay), Colonialism (Dahomey, Apartheid South Africa, Boer War, Simon Bolivar, Incas, Cambodia, Australia, Goering, Ireland 1793) Cold War (Angolan civil war, Pinochet, East Germany, Ceausescu, Hungary 1956, Moscow Apartment bombings), Africa (Tutankhamen, Ghana lake people, Kush empire, Mobuto Sese Seko, Gabon, Rwandan genocide)

Music: Pixabay

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