Sahara Desert
latest news & developmentsAlgeria abandons hundreds more African migrants in desert
A UN migration official has accused Algeria of leaving hundreds of African migrants stranded in the desert
Algeria abandons 13 000 refugees in the Sahara
An Associated Press report details witness accounts of migrants and refugees from Africa left to die in the Sahara Desert
Attacks target French embassy, military HQ in Burkina capital
The capital came under multiple attacks on Friday when five armed men opened fire on passersby before heading towards the embassy
For displaced Malians the Mauritanian desert is a haven
Despite the refugee camp’s depleting funds, refugees would rather be hungry than live in terror
Mauritania: A green oasis in a sea of apricot and cream dunes
Few places in the world seem as otherworldly & inhospitable as the vast expanses of the Mauritanian Sahara, yet a holiday there is ideal for a family.
Niger capital’s ‘green lung’ faces suffocation
The "green belt" of trees surrounding Niger’s capital, which was created to stop the advance of the Sahara desert, is dying a slow death.
Bandits kidnap tourists in Sahara
Masked bandits have kidnapped a group of 19 foreign tourists and Egyptians who were on an expedition in a remote corner of the Sahara Desert.
Largest known Stone Age burial ground found in Niger
United States archaeologists have discovered the largest known burial ground of the Stone Age in the Sahara Desert, in Niger.
Europe eyes the desert sun
Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy back plan for solar panels in the North African desert, writes Alok Jha.
Africa’s wall of trees
Tentative preparations for an African "wall of trees" to slow down the southern spread of the Sahara desert are finally getting under way.
How the Sahara’s sun could power Europe
A tiny rectangle in the Sahara captures the seductive appeal of the audacious plan to cut Europe’s carbon emissions by harnessing the sun’s power.