Western Sahara fortification contains seven million landmines

The Western Sahara region remains one of the most heavily mined areas in the world due to the legacy of the ‘Berm’, a massive defensive fortification system built by Morocco. Constructed between 1980 and 1987, the barrier spans approximately 2,700 kilometers and serves to separate Moroccan-controlled areas from territories held by the Polisario Front.

The system, often referred to by opponents as the ‘wall of shame’, is a complex military installation consisting of sand embankments, trenches, bunkers, barbed wire, and an estimated seven million anti-personnel mines. Beyond the mines, the fortification includes military bases, artillery positions, airfields, and radar systems.

The conflict stems from the 1975 withdrawal of Spain from Western Sahara, which led to a territorial dispute between Morocco, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front, the latter of which proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in 1976. The Moroccan fortification system was developed in phases to counter guerrilla attacks across the vast desert landscape.