Sun, sand and patience abound for natives of the Western Sahara, many of whom have survived the last 38 years in the Algerian hamada thanks to international aid. In 1976, the independence movement, the Polisario Front, proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (RASD) in what is today called the Western Sahara just as Spain, the former colonial power, withdrew from the territory. This land has since been the subject of dispute between Mauritania and Morocco, the country which occupies almost all of it to date.
On 12 January 2007, Nicaragua joined the African Union and the 45 world nations which recognise the sovereignty of RASD. No European country either recognises the RASD as a sovereign entity, or the annexation carried out by Morocco. Meanwhile, 260,000 inhabitants of the Western Sahara are currently living in an effective no-man’s land claimed by Morocco. There, local institutions have no power and are not given any public assistance.
Neighbouring Algeria, a firm defender of Western Saharan independence, provides refuge to 160,000 Sahrawis in the desert surrounding the Algerian province of Tindouf. Isolated from the rest of the world, they depend on what the European NGO lorries take from the port of Oran to the south of the country. Here, a generation raised abroad is beginning to question how long it will be before a referendum is held. Many of these young men do not rule out returning to arms.
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Soldiers line up in rank and file near Tifariti, in the Moroccan "buffer zone."
Bir Lehlu is a village in the part of the Western Sahara claimed by Morocco.
A soldier waves back to his colleagues during a counter terrorism patrol in the Western Sahara desert.
Counter terrorism patrols are carried out regularly in the areas of the Western Sahara where Moroccan-claimed land borders Algeria and Mauritania.
A decorative light in the shape of the Western Sahara hangs in the desert near Bir Lehlu.
Containers full of aid are lined up in the desert near the Rabouni refugee camp.
A man stands beside his broken-down car in the Rabouni camp.
A woman dresses in festive attire and waves a Western Sahara flag during a rally for the independence of the Western Sahara.
A Saharawi military parade is under way in the desert near the 27 February refugee camp.
Women join the parade in support of independence for the Western Sahara.
A soldier carries a SPLA flag near the Rabouni camp near Tindouf, Algeria.
The Smara refugee camp in southern Algeria is home to thousands of Western Saharan refugees.
Women sift through clothing at a street market in the Smara refugee camp.
Fans arrive at Hargeisa Stadium ahead of the Somaliland Regional (aka Clan) Cup Final.
Players of Hawd pose for the camera ahead of kick-off. In a repeat of last year's final, they play fierce local rivals Maroodi-Jeh for the highest prize in Somaliland sport.
The referee keeps a close eye on the fierce challenges that fly in from all directions. After 90 minutes of hot, tireless action the game is deadlocked at nil-nil.
Hawd's sixth penalty flies wide of the post, handing Maroodi-Jeh a second-consecutive victory. Last year Hawd were also beaten finallists.
Maroodi-Jeh's jubilant players race to the touchlines in victory, as Hawd's beaten penalty-taker lays in anguish.
The trophy is held aloft as the sun sets over Hargeisa. "This game is huge for Somaliland," says minister of sport Abdi Saeed Raigal as a handful of stones clatter the stadium's corrugated roof. "Every year we will get better and better."
Somaliland is the breakaway Somali state seeking independence after decades of bloody civil war and terror. Its capital city Hargeisa is booming, and expats are returning to start businesses after years in exodus.
But Somaliland is still deeply riven across clan lines, that often spill into violence which threaten its image as the peaceful antithesis of terror-torn Mogadishu, from whom the state clamours for independence.
Football may be the answer. And this year's year's 'Regional', aka 'Clan', Cup Final, which pitted two tribal groups from Hargeisa against each other amid a chaotic atmosphere in the capital's 15,000-plus capacity stadium, wasn't just a chance to play out tribal rivalries in peace. It was a statement that Somaliland can police itself and promote sport without help from Somalia, the UN or any other outsiders.
"Somaliland is desperate for recognition," says Jamal Alon, a British-Somalilander who helped organise this year's final. "It's days like this that show it can be recognised through football, and sport in general.
"This is Mo Farah's birthplace so there's tons of sporting talent here. Come to Hargeisa, see the city and bring your scouts!"
Security is tight as stick-wielding policemen keep punters in check. Previous years' finals have seen tribe-driven violence and stone-throwing.
The women's stand is awash with colour, as girls and older women in traditional dress wave national flags and scream support for their team.
The crowd, which doesn't swell to full-capacity until the second half, watches as the game slips into sudden-death penalties.
It's a tough day for Hawd's exhausted players, who also lost last year's final to their cross-town rivals.
A presenter reports pitch-side after the match. Last year's final drew just one local crew while this year seven TV stations covered the game - a sign of progress off the field in Somaliland.
Maroodi-Jeh's captain receives the winners' trophy from Somaliland justice minister Hussein Ahmed Aided. "I'm supporting both teams," he says. "I'm the minister of justice - I have to be even-handed!"
Around and inside Gorongosa live around 250,000 persons that continue struggling to survive from a hard daily life after decades of civil war that came after independence from Portugal
Massive demonstrations took place all weekend in Barcelona, Spain, with national sentiment taking the stage in a protest against the independence of Catalonia, followed by a noisy rally as demonstrators rode the #Globalnoise wave of rallies worldwide.
Climbing up to the press podium, a woman bears her breasts to the crowd.
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain. - Seis mil personas, según fuentes de la Guardia Urbana han participado en la concentración de este viernes al mediodía en la plaza de Catalunya de Barcelona con motivo del 12 de Octubre dia de la Hispanidad. La Plataforma de España y Catalanes. ha reunido a miles de personas con banderas catalanas y españolas que se sienten tambien españolas, con el lema unitario de 'Cataluña somos todos. De España y catalanes.
Barcelona, Spain - Six thousand people, according to sources from the city police, participated in a Columbus Day rally on Friday afternoon, October 12, at the Plaza de Catalonia in Barcelona. The platform of unity brought together Catalonians and Spaniards with the motto "We are all Catalonia."
Barcelona, Spain. About 400 people from the National Assembly of Catalonia (ACN), gathered at the gates of Parliament to demand the independence of Catalonia on Thursday, September 27, 2012. Parliament members inside gathered for the second day of the annual Debate on General Policy, where only 21 members objected to a referendum for an independent state, to be voted on in the next election. Behind a banner with the slogan, "Catalonia, new state of Europa," demonstrators chanted for independence and waved Catalonian flags.