Border tensions affect farmers - 31st March 2021

Moroccan farmers in Figuig, a town on the Algerian border, are being affected by tensions between the two countries.

The farmers' date trees are located in Algeria. Although the border has been closed since 1994, Algeria had allowed residents of Figuig across to farm.

However, Algeria has now taken back that right. The country's military is preventing the farmers from reaching their date palm trees.

It’s believed that Algeria's decision is connected to an increase in tensions with Morocco about the Western Sahara.

Morocco has claimed the Western Sahara is part of the Moroccan state since it invaded the country in 1975. However, the native Sahrawi people don't recognise Moroccan rule. In 1976, they declared the country to be the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The SADR has the support of many countries, including Algeria.

However, as one of his last acts as US president, Trump decided to support Morocco's claim to the Western Sahara. This has led to new tensions between Morocco and Algeria.

Figuig is hundreds of kilometres north of the Western Sahara, but the town's farmers are feeling the effect of the tensions between Morocco and Algeria.

The farmers will struggle to make a living without access to their date palms. Many of them were planted by their grandparents. Date production has been a way of life for Figuig residents for generations.