Guerguerat

Guerguerat
الكركرات
ⴳⵔⴳⵔⴰⵜ
Border crossing in Guerguerat
Border crossing in Guerguerat
Guerguerat is located in Western Sahara
Guerguerat
Guerguerat
Coordinates: 21°25′34″N 16°57′31″W / 21.42611°N 16.95861°W / 21.42611; -16.95861
TerritoryWestern Sahara
Claimed by Morocco
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Controlled by Morocco
Area
 • Total105.73 km2 (40.82 sq mi)
Elevation
20 m (70 ft)
Population
 (2004)
 • Total28
 • Density0.26/km2 (0.69/sq mi)

Guerguerat (Arabic: الكركرات, romanized: al-Karkarāt) is a small village in the far south west of Western Sahara, currently occupied by Morocco.[1][2] Guerguerat is approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) from the border with Mauritania and 5 km (3.1 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean.[3][4] Morocco sees Guerguerat as a strategic barrier protecting the European Union from illegal migration and terrorism, and smuggling.[5]

In January 2015, the Polisario established a military presence in La Güera on the seaside, but apparently did not yet start controlling passports of people transiting to Mauritania.[6]

Guerguerat border checkpoint after 2020

The importance of Guerguerat to Morocco lies in two aspects: Moroccan exports of vegetables to Mauritania (especially to Nouadhibou) run through this border station and it is the only open border crossing to an other African country. In fact the only safe road from all northern Africa towards sub-Saharan Africa passes through this border crossing as all Sahelian countries from Sudan to Mali have serious security problems. The importance of Guerguerat to the SADR lies in the fact that this is the only location where it can exert pressure on Morocco by isolating it from Mauritania.

Morocco took military action in the area on 13 November 2020, in an attempt to enforce free movement of goods and people between Moroccan-controlled territory and Mauritania. The pro-independence Polisario Front declared an end to the 1991 ceasefire, while Morocco denied there had been any armed clashes between the sides and said the truce remained in place.[7]

The Great Mosque of Guerguerat was opened by Morocco's Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs in March 2023 on a budget of 8.8 million dirham, spanning 3,767 square meters and with a total capacity of 500 people.[8][9]

In February 2023, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced the construction of two football fields in Bir Gandouz and Guerguerat.[10][11]

A seawater desalination plant in Guerguerat was opened in November 2023, consisting of two desalination units, with a flow rate of 432 m³/day and the construction of an elevated reservoir with a capacity of 200 m³, as well as a distribution network with a length of 5 km.[12][13][14]

  1. ^ "A/RES/35/19 - E - A/RES/35/19". Question of Western Sahara. p. 214. Retrieved 8 Apr 2021.
  2. ^ Christian Walter; Antje von Ungern-Sternberg; Kavus Abushov (5 June 2014). Self-Determination and Secession in International Law. OUP Oxford. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-19-100692-0.
  3. ^ "Maroc : que s'est-il vraiment passé à Guerguerate ?". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  4. ^ Dahir, Abdi Latif (2020-11-13). "Morocco Launches Military Operation in Western Sahara Buffer Zone". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  5. ^ Pons, Frédéric (2015-06-11). "Clandestins : Le Maroc, verrou sud de l'Europe". Valeurs actuelles (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  6. ^ "لكويرة تحت سيطرة الجيش الصحراوي بالتنسيق مع موريتانيا". Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Morocco troops launch operation in Western Sahara border zone". Al Jazeera. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  8. ^ Zine, Ghita. "Maroc : La mosquée d'El Guerguerate a accueilli sa première prière du ramadan". Yabiladi (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  9. ^ "La mosquée d'El Guerguerat accueille la prière au nom du Roi du Maroc". Hespress Français (in French). 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  10. ^ "Infrastructures : Le lancement des travaux d'aménagement des terrains de Bir Gandouz et Guergearat". FRMF (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  11. ^ "La FRMF va aménager des terrains à Guergarate et Bir Gandouz". L'Economiste (in French). 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  12. ^ "ONEE: mise en service de la station de dessalement de l'eau de mer au poste frontalier El Guerguarate". Le 360 Français (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  13. ^ Takouleu, Jean Marie (2021-08-13). "MOROCCO: Two compact desalination units to be installed in El Guerguerat". Afrik 21. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  14. ^ "السيد الحافظي يعطي الانطلاقة لتشغيل محطة تحلية مياه البحر بالمركز الحدودي الكركرات | MAP". www.mapnews.ma. Retrieved 2023-11-08.