10 Most Dangerous Borders

10 Most Dangerous Borders
Number 10. Mexico/US
Unless you live under the largest rock, it’s unlikely you’ve managed to get through the
last few years without hearing about the US/Mexico border. The 3,201 kilometer border is the
most frequently crossed in the world, and provided one of the main discussion points
in America’s 2016 Presidential Election.
While the stretch is manned by 20,000 patrol guards, they’re mostly located around the
major cities of each country, meaning that the large stretches of desert remain mostly
unguarded. This means that the 500,000 immigrants a year who try to cross the border illegally
are pushed into dangerous areas like the El Paso-Juarez. Notorious for its drug, weapon
and human trafficking, you may recognise the area as it was featured heavily in AMC’s
Breaking Bad.
Due to less regulated criminal activity and a general lack of resources, several hundred
lose their lives In these desert regions each year. At an estimated cost of between $20
and $70 Billion, strong debate is ongoing over how effective President Trump’s Border
wall will be in combating these dangers. But these questions will soon be answered, with
construction set to begin in 2018.
Number 9. India/Pakistan
‘The Radcliffe Line’, which separates India and Pakistan is one of the only borders
that can be seen from space, because of the high voltage floodlights used along the Indian
side of its 2900 Kilometer stretch. These measures give an impression of just how closely
guarded the border is, with some considering it the most militarized border in the world.
The border has existed since the 1947 partition of India, where casualties reached hundreds
of thousands. The two countries have fought in three wars since, and spent at least 25
years in dispute over the Kashmir province with fatalities estimated anywhere between
40,000 to 100,000.
The tension of this split has made for a hostile border in the years following, with the effects
having worldwide ramifications. In the 1990s, Pakistan helped create the fundamentalist
group The Taliban in a move to undermine India’s allies in Afghanistan. The development each
country has made in their nuclear armament is also a serious cause for global concern.
Number 8. North/South Korea
The Korean Demilitarized Zone that separates the country’s North and South regions comes
complete with barbed wire, landmines and heavily armed troops. At 250 Kilometers long and 4
Kilometers wide, the Demilitarised Zone was established to quell the volatility of the
border between the two countries. But regular outbreaks of violence suggest this was unsuccessful.
Those who live near the Demilitarized zone report stray bullets frequently flying past
and even into their houses.
The two nations have been warring for over 60 years, with each refusing to acknowledge
the other’s independence as a sovereign state. Violence regularly occurs when people
try to smuggle information into North Korea with balloons - which will be shot down and
replied to with artillery fire - and when North Koreans try to cross the zone to defect,
activating the shoot on sight policy for crossing without permission.
Because of the secrecy and lack of information leaving North Korea, exact statistics from
both sides of the border are hard to ascertain. Hundreds of casualties have been reported
as a direct result of military action since the establishment of the Demilitarized Zone,
including around 50 Americans. On top of this, regular disappearances and unclaimed assassinations
are reported in the region.
Number 7. Israel/Syria
The Golan heights, between Israel and Syria, has been subjected to almost 100 years of
contestation. This and other land disputes have led to three major wars between the two
countries. This conflict is alive today, with bullets and shells flying on either side and
many tipping the two countries to break into another war imminently.
Israel officially regards Syria as an enemy state. They have no diplomatic relations,
limited movement of people and trade is limited to a small amount of apples delivered to the
Golan Druze villages, located on both sides of the ceasefire line.
This ceasefire line has been a constant source of volatility, with control slipping significantly
since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, which is ongoing as of 2017. Since the
start of the war, around 40 soldiers have been killed at the ceasefire line, mostly
Syrian, as well as 9 civilian casualties, only one of which was Israeli.
Number 6. Bangladesh/India
At 4,096 Kilometres long, the border between Bangladesh and India is one of the longest
in the world, and provides a strong argument in America for those who oppose plans for
a border wall. The whole stretch of land bordering the two countries is marked by a fence, which
costs the country a lot to maintain and most believe has little to no effect on the influx
of indian terrorists into Bangladesh, as was the intention.
Along the border are several confusing areas, where Indian land is surrounded by Bangladeshi
territory within Indian territory. This means that inhabitants of the area face the regular
struggle of having to cross the dangerous border for work or to visit family.
Because of hostility between the countries, and guards’ inability to properly deal with
illegal immigrants and smugglers, Indian Border Security Forces have a shoot on sight policy
for any suspicious individuals, which they regularly abuse. According to a study by Human
Rights Watch, this led to over 1,000 Bangladeshi deaths between 2000 and 2010, some of whom
were simply approaching the border to cultivate their own land.
Number 5. China/North Korea
With everything you know about North Korea, it shouldn’t surprise you to know they don’t
have friends on any of their borders. Unlike the South-Korean border, the security at their
Chinese border is limited, making it a popular exit for North Koreans fleeing the country.
Despite the fact the two countries are officially allies and trade partners, this influx of
immigrants has lead to numerous territorial debates over where the border should lie.
Since Kim Jong Un inherited North Korean leadership from his father in 2011, reports of defectors
committing thefts and murders have risen, and in 2015 one rogue North-Korean soldier
killed four Chinese citizens of Korean descent. Crimes like these are frequent as the Korean
Border guards are often underfed and underpaid, and so regularly cross the border to steal
food.
Tensions were especially high in April 2016, when reports of nuclear testing in the Korean
city of Pyongyang lead China to deploy 2,000 troops to the border. Tests like these have
continued into 2017, with one School in the Chinese border city of Yanji having been evacuated
because of the shaking ground caused by a nearby Nuclear test.
Number 4. Yemen/Saudi Arabia
For over 65 years, the 1,800 kilometer border between Saudi Arabia and The Yemen was an
area of sporadic violence between the two warring nations. In 2000 however, things seemed
to be improving, as the countries reached a border treaty. This calmed violence for
some time, until the increasing smuggling of weapons, refugees and terrorists, as well
as the partial building of a border wall stoked tensions again.
When Saudi Arabia attempted to intervene in the Yemeni Civil War, the border became an
area of intense danger for soldiers and civilians alike, and as of 2015, the countries were
officially at war again.
Asked about the condition of the border, one Saudi general stated: “Now our rules of
engagement are: you are close to the border, you are killed”. This lead to an estimated
375 Civilians having lost their lives in the conflict as of 2016. But the blame lies on
both sides, with 15 missiles and 130 mortars being launched into Saudi Arabia every day
of the war.
Number 3. Nigeria/Chad
Nigeria and Chad's relations have been strained in the past, with most border conflicts arising
over bids for oil, but in general these two countries have a considerably stronger relationship
than most entries on this list. What makes their border so dangerous is the insurgency
of Boko Haram, one of the deadliest terror groups in the world.
Attacks by the group in Nigeria have taken around 20,000 lives and sent millions of people
fleeing across the border to seek refuge in Chad. But stationed Boko Haram fighters at
the border make this a dangerous trip to make, with violence in the border town of Bosso
alone having sent 17,000 Nigerians into Chad to escape.
To combat the terror, the two countries have had joint army operations since 2015, and
Chad have deployed thousands of soldiers to fight the terrorist group. Sadly, of these
troops, 32 have lost their lives since their arrival in Nigeria. The only silver lining
here would be the fact that this number is lower than the 55 terrorists who the forces
have also died.
Number 2. Colombia/Ecuador
After Columbia’s 44 year Civil War, military forces began in 2008 to overpower the rebel
group The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. But in doing so, many of the group’s forces
have made camps in Ecuador along the San Miguel River.
The group, who were responsible for over 200,000 deaths in 2016 have caused a significant increase
in conflict on both sides on the border, using mortars and landmines to force indigenous
inhabitants to leave their tribal land. In 2016 the murder rates in these border towns
rose as high as 96 in 100,000 people, compared to a global rate of 6.2 as reported by the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2012.
The situation has only been exacerbated by the intervention of the Colombian Military,
who frequently cross the border to combat the rebel group. The Ecuadorian president
took issue with this, stating that the Colombian military had no permission to do so, to which
Colombia responded by accusing Ecuador of harboring terrorists. This indecision over
the treatment of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia has meant that conflict at the
Columbia/Ecuador border is ongoing as of 2017.
Number 1. Pakistan/Afghanistan
Established by British Diplomat Sir Mortimer Durand in 1896, the ‘Durand Line’, which
separates Pakistan and Afghanistan was intended to fix diplomatic relations between the two
countries. This was ultimately a failed attempt, with Afghanistan only once having officially
recognised the border, and every leader since having refuted it. Their former President
even went on record in 2017 to say that the Afghan people will never recognise the Durand
Line.
The border has since become a regular site for violent encounters between the two countries’
militaries, as well as regular interventions from the Taliban and the US Government. Since
George Bush’s presidency began in 2001, America has carried out thousands of drone
strikes concentrated at the northwest border of Pakistan, with leaked military documents
revealing in that only 13% of deaths incurred were the intended targets. 81% of losses were
other "militants", and the remaining 6% were civilians.
In 2007, Pakistan began constructing a fence at the border to stop the advancements of
the Taliban and other Afghan military groups, but acts like these often aggravate Afghanistan.
Most recently, in 2017 a dispute over a Pakistani-constructed gate lead to a skirmish which left at least
15 dead on both sides, including 5 women and children.
So that was The 10 Most Dangerous Borders. Are there any countries on the list you still
want to visit? Have you crossed any borders you think belong in the top 10? Let us know
in the comments below and don't forget to like and subscribe. And if you liked this
video, be sure to check out the video on screen now!
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10 Most Dangerous Borders

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