Morocco looks set to get closer to Gulf states

Significance The kingdom was previously seen as withdrawn from and largely peripheral to the wider Middle East. However, two issues -- the Israel-Morocco normalisation agreement in late 2020 and the consequent revival of the Western Sahara issue, with US recognition of Morocco’s claims over the territory -- have brought Rabat further into the spotlight. Impacts Morocco will expand its diplomatic and economic partnerships to East Africa. Rabat may try again to position itself as a constructive international actor through offering mediation services. EU states will need to balance their commitment to the UN process in Western Sahara with maintaining strong tries to Rabat.

Identifying Source Region Elemental Indicators in Aged Saharan Dust Plumes Over the Tropical Atlantic

This work examines the spatial dependency of Saharan dust aerosol composition over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean using observations collected during the 2015 Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE). Regionally specific elemental indicators remain detectable in the dust samples collected along the Saharan air layer trajectory far into the Tropical Atlantic marine boundary layer. Saharan dust transport characteristics and elemental composition were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometric (ICP-MS) analysis of airborne dust samples, ship-based radiometry, satellite aerosol retrievals, and atmospheric back-trajectory analysis. Three strong dust events (SDEs) and two trace dust events (TDEs) were detected during the campaign. The associated mineral dust arrived from potentially 7 different north African countries within 5 to 15 days of emission, according to transport analysis. Peak Na / Al and Ca / Al ratios (>1 and >1.5, respectively) in dust samples were traced to northern Saharan source regions in Western Sahara and Libya. In contrast, peak Fe / Al ratios (0.4–0.8) were traced to surface sources in southern Saharan regions in central Mauritania. We observe the highest ratios of (3–10) at sampling latitudes north of 15N in the Atlantic. Additionally, the sub-micron fraction of dust particulate settling over the Atlantic showed significant temporal and spatial variability, with coarse-fine Al ratios (at 0.8 microns) of 1.05, 0.65, and 0.95 for SDE1 (11/21–23), SDE2 (11/25–26), and SDE3 (11/28), respectively. This was consistent with elemental concentrations of Ca, Na, K, Ti, and Sr, per Al, that exhibited coarser size tendencies per dust event. These observations could validate spatially-sensitive aerosol models by predicting dust aerosol abundance and composition within the tropical Atlantic. Such predictions are critical towards understanding Saharan dust effects on regional climate, Atlantic Ocean biogeochemistry, satellite observations, and air quality modeling.

The antique genetic plight of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)

Disentangling the impact of Late Quaternary climate change from human activities can have crucial implications on the conservation of endangered species. We investigated the population genetics and demography of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), one of the world's most endangered marine mammals, through an unprecedented dataset encompassing historical (extinct) and extant populations from the eastern North Atlantic to the entire Mediterranean Basin. We show that Western-Sahara/Mauritania (Cabo Blanco), Madeira, Western Mediterranean (historical range) and Eastern Mediterranean regions segregate in four populations. This structure is likely the consequence of recent drift, combined with long-term isolation by distance (R2 = 0.7), resulting from prevailing short-distance (< 500 km) and infrequent long-distance dispersal (< 1,500 km). All populations (Madeira especially), show high levels of inbreeding and low levels of genetic diversity, seemingly declining since historical time, but surprisingly not being impacted by the 1997 massive die-off in Cabo Blanco. Approximate Bayesian Computation analyses support a scenario combining local extinctions and a major effective population size decline in all populations during Antiquity. Our results suggest that the early densification of human populations around the Mediterranean Basin coupled to the development of seafaring techniques were the main drivers of the decline of Mediterranean monk seals.

Hijos de las nubes i 45 lat marzeń: uchodźcy Saharawi na terytorium Algierii

Hijos de las nubes and 45 Years of Dreams: Saharawi Refugees in Algeria Over the years, the issue of the protracted exile of the Saharawi people in Algeria as a consequence of the so far unresolved conflict over the Western Sahara has become a highly politicized problem. The protracted standstill and the lack of clear prospects for a referendum that would ultimately end the conflict make it questionable that the Sahrawi refugee situation will change quickly. The article attempts to analyse the status of the Sahrawi people, taking into account the uniqueness of the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria and their importance for the still unsolved problem of Western Sahara. It is based largely on qualitative data collected from fieldwork in Algeria (including Sahrawi refugee camps), Mauritania and Morocco, and the Rabat-controlled territory of Western Sahara, as well as interviews and conversations with representatives of Spanish NGOs involved in helping Sahrawi refugees, Sahrawi living or temporarily staying in Spain and researchers working at Spanish universities.

Między Marokiem a Algierią

Between Morocco and Algeria: Mauritania and the question of Western Sahara Following the change of government and the election of a new president, Mauritania makes it clear that it hopes to resolve the issue of Western Sahara, which has divided Morocco and Algeria since the mid-1970s and still poses a serious problem to Mauritanian foreign policy. Mauritania in this dispute is between the proverbial rock and a hard place, trying not to come into conflict with any of the powerful neighbors, each of whom aspires to the role of a leader in the region. The conflict also casts a shadow on regional cooperation within the Arab Maghreb Union, which, if it functioned, could greatly help in the economic development of the region, especially important for the economically weakest Mauritania. Over the last few years, Nouakchott has maintained the position of the so-called “positive neutrality” which irritated the authorities in Rabat and created tense political relations with Morocco. The current striving for a more active role in the process of resolving the Western Saharan conflict seems to be largely dictated by the internal situation in Algeria and its troubles related to social protests demanding changes at the top of the government. Algeria has been the greatest ally of the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi cause so far. It is also not without significance that Morocco, after years of absence, returned to the African Union – the move, which definitely strengthened Morocco’s position among the countries of the continent.

Western Sahara's new envoy faces old challenges

Significance On October 6, the UN Secretary-General announced the appointment of a new personal envoy to the Western Sahara dispute, Staffan de Mistura, an Italian diplomat with a four-decade career in numerous hotspots, most recently Syria and Iraq. De Mistura takes on the post amid increased military hostilities between Western Saharan independence movement Polisario and Moroccan forces. Impacts Morocco and Polisario will use different kinds of international diplomacy to pursue their aims. Growing conflict in Western Sahara could have dangerous spillover effects that would draw in Algeria. Without a significant reduction in tensions in Western Sahara, an Algerian-Moroccan rapprochement is unlikely.