Scouting and Guiding in Western Sahara

badge created for Scouts in Laayoune with the assistance of Scouts from the Association of Scouts of the Canary Islands.

Scouting exists in Western Sahara both as part of the Fédération Nationale du Scoutisme Marocain as well as independent groups.

The Scout Motto is Kun Musta'idan or كن مستعدين, translating as Be Prepared in Arabic. The noun for a single Scout is Kashaf or كشاف in Arabic.

Notes

Western Sahara is disputed territory, not presently independent. The two main claimants are the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front independence movement (and government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic or SADR), who dispute control of the territory. Since a United Nations-sponsored cease-fire agreement in 1991, most of the territory has been controlled by Morocco, with the remainder under the control of Polisario/SADR. As the international Scouting movement is an educational youth movement, it takes a neutral position on each side's claims, and the existence of Scouting on the land area of Western Sahara does not imply any official position in the dispute.

References