Terrorism watch in North Africa

The long-running dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front over sovereignty of Western Sahara is usually ignored by the rest of the world. The territory is mostly desert flatlands and has a population of maybe half a million people. The conflict has little chance of spreading. The Polisario Front, for its part, appears to be almost a relic of the Cold War, heralding socialism and national liberation rather than Islam.

Lately, though, a few Africa analysts have pointed to attempts to infiltrate and recruit members of the movement by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the terror group’s North African franchise. More here (page 3), here, and here.