Laayoune

25 October 2022

During the journey yesterday, we went through several police check points. The driver had the passports of any passenger's from African countries other than Morocco. Mine was only required at the check point just before Laayoune.

Entering the West Sahara region, you see more military vehicles and UN presence. I am assuming my documents will now get checked more regularly as I travel closer to the Mauritanian border area.

Piecing together the history of this southern most area of Morocco is fascinating. I was helped today by the priest, Mario, who showed me round the Catholic Church and answered my questions using the very informative display of photos which depicted the history of the Spanish Catholic presence in Laayoune.

Behind the church lies the water source that brought the original nomads to this location and consequently became the most appropriate place for the Spanish colonials to build their first settlement.

The church has served the Spanish community since the 1930s and currently has a congregation of around 40. Though much smaller than the previous gatherings, the Sunday mass brings together UN workers, Spanish decedents, students from other African countries and migrants. Mario, welcomes this diverse group and the church works hard to provide a sense of belonging for many of these people who are far from home.

The UN peacekeeping mission MINURSO, continues to work with the Moroccan and Spanish governments to try to reach an workable solution for this region. It is taking time and carefully consideration of the needs of the large Saharawi indigenous population.