MAURITANIA: THE DESERT CONVEYORS | France 5 | Les Routes de l'Impossible

They say of Mauritania that its vast desert disorientates you. Situated on the edge of the Sahara and the Sahel, where North Africa meets sub-Saharan Africa, this former French colony intrigues. Because Mauritania is one of the largest… and least populated countries in the world: four people per square kilometre. After years of terrorism, the country is opening up again. However, the people have never ceased to live with another menace: the Harmattan. A dry, sandy, dusty wind that sweeps across desert regions and even buries crops… and villages. For the families that stay, survival is a daily battle. To feed them, frozen fish is transported into the desert. In 4x4s and in simple boxes. With no means of conservation, it’s a real race against the clock to get the produce safely to destination… and most important… still frozen. Sid Ahmed and his faithful lieutenant, Mohamed, are also responsible for supplying these land-locked areas. They are among the few who venture there. At the wheel of their ancient truck, amidst the dunes, they guarantee delivery of essential supplies in the desert. They are up against extreme nature, which they attempt to tame at the cost of unimaginable efforts. In a country where 42% of the population lives below the poverty line, the Desert Train is the last hope for those who now have nothing. Every day, this steel giant carries 15,000 tonnes of iron ore on the only railroad in the Sahara. In the containers, the courageous transporters undergo every type of risk for a mere pittance. And they carry goods and cattle at the risk of their lives.