Western Sahara is home to a fortified wall that is 16 times longer than what used to divide Berlin. It’s also dropped millions of landmines into the mix. Did you know about this?
The Great Wall Of China, 13, 170 miles long, is the longest wall in the world. Coming in second is a desert wall you have never even heard of. “The Berm” is 1,678 miles of piled rock and sand. Heavily armed, it cuts right through the Sahara Desert.
In 1975, Morocco claimed sovereignty over Western Sahara. But the local Sahrawi population resisted so Morocco built the longest functional military wall in the world to keep them out.
Moroccans call it “The Berm” but to the Sahrawis it’s the “Wall of Shame”. “The Berm” is guarded by tanks, radar and roughly 120, 000 soldiers, keeping watch 24/7.
Source: The Longest, Deadliest Wall In The World That Nobody Talks About by INSH on Rumble
It’s also home to the world’s longest continuous minefield. Over seven million landmines lie beyond its fortifications. They have injured over 2,500 people of all ages. Not many people in North America know about this wall. But, it’s a wonder something like this has been allowed to exist for so long.
The seven million landmines scattered across its perimeter also help rank it as the world’s longest minefield. At nearly 1,700 miles, it doesn’t quite match the enormity of the Great Wall of China, but the Great Wall of today doesn’t have explosives surrounding it and soldiers on patrol.
When Morocco took region of Western Sahara over from Spain in 1976, it inherited a long-standing territorial issue with guerrilla forces from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
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Featured image is from ArtsAction Blog.
