No man's land

Africa | A 30-year split over Western Sahara has divided Europe, Africa, and now Congress and U.S. Christians. Who cares who controls the desert? Al-Qaeda, for one. How should Christians, and the United States, respond to movements that claim popular support but provide havens for killers? | Mindy Belz

DAKHLA, Western Sahara— Nomads die hard. Atop the new houses of Dakhla, where some in these parts might save the flat roof for a meal outdoors and a satellite dish, the nomads reserve rooftops as urban pasture for sheep and goats. "You can find people in Dakhla who can't spend one week in town. They always go for a few days with cattle to the desert. It's a habit," said Mohamed Salah Tamek, Morocco's governor of the province.

In sandy tracts within view of the ocean, the Moroccan government is building hundreds of houses for refugees returning from a conflict that began 30 years ago and hasn't ended. Those who take up residence in the city yearn to roam the desert on occasion to find food and water for their cattle, to sleep on a dark expanse under the stars, and to eat meat with onions under a tent.