I have never seen my country. Living here in the Algerian desert has become routine, but it is also very hard. What keeps us going day after day and year after year, is the hope of eventually returning to Western Sahara. The refugees are almost entirely dependent upon aid for their survival. Food is imported and the four huge camps near Tindouf do not even have adequate local water supplies.
Tankers ferry water continuously.
The mud-brick homes that have been built convey an air of permanence, but even after 25 years, some refugees still live in tents. Visitors to the Saharawi refugee camps are overwhelmed by the conditions. In summer, temperatures are said to reach 50 C. Among the participants in the Sahara Marathon, a special event to mark the 25th anniversary of the SADR, was the former Commonwealth Games champion, Ron Hill, who has completed marathons in 67 different countries. Just coming for four days is a thing in itself, and this was one of the toughest places in which I have ever run. For the next 15 years, Polisario fought a guerrilla war against Morocco which occupies most of Western Sahara and lays claim to the territory.