EFFORTPOST Drama when the yearly DAKAR 4x4 rally stopped being hosted in Africa after the racists offroad-vehicle drivers were under risk of terrorist attacks in North Africa

INTRODUCTION TO DAKAR:

Greetings Dramatards!

Since 1978, there had been an annual grand offroad 4x4 racing rally held from Dakar (a city in the african country of Senegal), to the city of Paris. Called from its inception as the Dakar-Paris Rally, and then later through the years just morphed into the DAKAR, this spectacle had been a favorite of racing fans whom thought F1 was for wimps, and enjoyed the rugged show of pickup-trucks, motorbikes and lorries rolling down the sanddunes in the often dangerous and difficult terrain provided by the routes running through the Sahara.

The Dakar has been an especially fan favorite of the French, but many other Nations have joined since its inception. It's open to professionals and amateurs, and people who represent countries or ride under no flag. Basically it's a yearly spectacle for anyone even remotely interested in dirtroad racing, or offroad 4x4 racing nuts. The rally consists of several stages, the number depending on that year's route, as chosen by the Rally Organizers. The distances which each stage coveres vary from up to 800–900 kilometres. Every year there's at least one serious accident with serious injury due to the deliberately chosen rough and rugged terrain. The Rally stages typically start from Paris, and then the vehicles are transported on ships to North Africa towards the next stage, where they the travel vast distances across Africa, to inevitably end at Senegal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Dakar_Rally

In the very 1st Dakar rally, a total of 182 vehicles participated, yet only 74 of the bastards would be able to finish the 10 000km long endurance race from Paris to the Senegalese capital of Dakar. I mention this to demonstrate how truly difficult the Dakar Rally can be. Of course just like the famous shitshow of the very 1st modern shitshow olympic games back in 1896, many participants and organizers were unprepared. And teams would learn from this by building better vehicles specifically designed to overcome sand dunes, and having better pit stop repair teams, navigation expertize, ect. Todays rallies every single Dakar racer finishes unless their vehicle crashes or break downs.

http://automobilisimo.weebly.com/-rally-paris-dakar-1981.html

TERRORIST ATTACKS IN AFRICA:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mauritania-france-shooting-idUSL2468313620071224

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_killing_of_French_tourists_in_Mauritania

Then everything changed when Islamic terrorists attacked French tourists in Mauritania and made racing through North Africa risk, which the Rally organizers could not safely prevent.

SHORT HISTORY OF MAURITANIA:

The North African country of Mauritania is mostly arabic and Islamic. The theocracy is named after the famous ancient Berbers which dominated North Africa and Southern Spain in the middle ages. Mauritania is culturally and politically part of the Arab world; it is a member of the Arab League and Arabic is the sole official language.

They basically stayed this way until Europe became progressively more and more powerful Naval colonial superpowers. In the 19th century Frogland would begin to rapidly colonize large swaths of North and Western Africa, including Mauritania. Just like the sickly Ottoman Empire, the Mauritanians were a declining Berber-arab empire, and could not compete militarily with gunpower weaponry. In the Franco-Trarzan War of 1825, the French finally crushed the descendants of the once proud Berber-Arab empire, and obtained complete control of the area north above the Senegal River, which would consist of modern day Mauritania.

Ii 1899 to 1901, the French under (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Coppolani), Xavier was the French colonial military leader and would lead the french colonial forces to crush the Moorish-Berbers descendants, whom were mostly nomadic tribes and resisting French rule from inland. These Arabian Moorish-Berber tribes were disunited and constantly infighting. Like Afghanistan they had no notion of Nation State and had loyalty to tribe, plus their nomadic nature meant they had no loyalty to land, and were moving peoples. This was a problem for the french as these nomads would not be content with things like administative districts. While the French controlled coastal harbours, inland Africa was completely hostile to the frogs. As is usual with colonial occupiers, violence broke between these mix of Arab/Moor/Berber peoples, and Xavier was sent to crush this uprising.

But the French army, while well trained, battle hardened and armed with powerful modern weaponry, was still vastly outnumbered by the locals of Mauritania, as is usual for European colonial forces, and previosuly they stuck to the coasts. Instead, the savvy Xavier would force alliances with the local tribal leaders of the Moorish-Berber tribes against their enemies - similar to that of the Spanish conquistadors uniting tribes against the dominant Aztecs, or the British splitting up the Indian raja factions. Alliances were drawn up with the local willing Marabouts (religious muslim leaders) of armies, and promised them dominant roles in the new French colonial administration. Very complicated, but all you dramatards need to know is that this made Islam the dominant religion against the will of the non muslim Moors-Berber people, and the colony of Mauritania would remain unstable and rebelious for its entire existence.

Ironically, French rule brought legal prohibitions against slavery and an end to interclan warfare. Nomadic tribes which had been defeated and expelled by dominant tribes of Mauritania, would steadily migrate back to the colony of Mauritania (there were no fences or walls from these imaginary colonial borders). Most of these included darker skinned sub-Saharan african tribes. I'm not gonna mention them, cuz they are sooooo many, but it's a pretty ethically diverse group of peeps and languages.

By 1960, just like all the other European Colonial superpowers, Frogland was steadily giving away more and more autonomy to restless colonies that they could no longer control. Mauritania was one of these autonomous states which eventually was granted independence without conflict in November 28, 1960. However the creation of this new entity of a nation state over previously disunited diverse tribal nomadic peoples was a shitshow of the Afghanistan kind. The molding of a new national state political entity was a challenge in a country in which the gradual breakdown of a well-entrenched tribal hierarchy and its authority was still under way. Mauritania's predominantly nomadic society did not lend itself to the establishment of administrative agencies; consequently, numerous political parties formed around those leaders who already exercised tribal authority.

The previously dominant Islamic Berber arabs, as upheld since the days of Xavier the french colonial overlord, mean that the Arabs of Mauritania would dominate political discourse and policies, usually against the will and consent of the sub-saharan black peeps. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania was established as a one party theocracy.

The imposition of single-party rule over a highly diverse population caused underlying tensions to emerge, especially among the southern black population, who feared Arab domination. Their fears were exacerbated by the 1966 decision to make the study of Hassaniya Arabic compulsory in secondary schools and the decision in 1968 to make Hassaniya Arabic, as well as French, an official language. Differences over linguistic and racial issues subsequently caused strikes and demonstrations by students and trade unionists in 1968, 1969, and 1971; all demonstrations were harshly repressed by the government, which in 1966 had banned discussion of racial problems. Other tensions existed among black Maures, who were still considered members of a slave class even though slavery had been outlawed under the French and by the Mauritanian Constitution. Many of the black tribes were not Islamic and instead pagan towards their local african gods.

Anyways looong story shorter, the regime lasted from 1960 to 1978, and was just as unstable and rebelious as the French colony preceding it, as the central authority of a nation state didn't go over well with tribal caste mentalities, and the racism and discrimination which arabs displayed against blacks and black tribes exacerbated tensions throughout the regimes lifespan. From here on out, you guys know the generic african story: invisible imaginary lines, grouping together diverse peoples in post colonial countries led to ethnic conflict in the african country, and instability in its independence. From 1978 to 2008, there were 3 fricking coups between various groups, and im sure as heck not gonna mention al of them. The summary is that Mauritania would remain perpetually unstable and economically a black hole of stagnant poverty, and ancient caste based mentality would hobble any of it's capacity to become a great modern nation state.

But in 2007, there was a shining light of hope at the end of the tunnel!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6440597.stm

(from the article)====== Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, whose military council took power in August 2005, said he had a great sense of pride because it was the first time that Mauritanians were choosing their leaders in a free and fair way. "We came to power for a specific purpose. We declared we would do specific things. We stayed only so long as it took to accomplish or goals," said Col Vall, who has barred himself and other members of the junta from running for office. Keeping the military out of power is seen as a key issue for a country which has seen numerous coups and attempted coups since independence from France.

Mauritania seems to have gone further politically in the last two years than it has in the rest of its history, reports the BBC's Richard Hamilton from the capital, Nouakchott. Col Vall has changed the constitution so that a president can only run for two terms, has improved human rights and brought democracy to this desert country, our correspondent says. Before the most recent coup, Mauritania spent 21 years under the iron grip of former President Ahmed Taya and elections in those days were regarded as a sham, he reports.

Mauritania is home to a number of different racial groups and many people were expected to vote along ethnic lines. Candidates include former ministers but no members of the outgoing military government. Another key issue is how to unite an ethnically diverse population, which includes Arabs, Berbers and sub-Saharan Africans. While many presidential hopefuls come from the ruling Arab elite, one candidate represents descendants of slaves. Despite a ban on slavery in 1980, human rights groups say the phenomenon still exists in the country. Other major campaign issues have been how to manage the country's new oil reserves and the Islamic republic's decision to recognise Israel.

In February last year, Mauritania started pumping millions of barrels of oil from offshore reserves, though people have still to see any benefits.===========(from the article)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Mauritania

"Despite being rich in natural resources, Mauritania has a low GDP. A majority of the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for almost 50% of total exports. Gold and copper mining companies are opening mines in the interior."

Mauritania is poor as dirt, and many of its people still live as they had a thousand years ago, just with cellphones and cars. Modern Mauritania is almost 100% Muslim, with extreme restrictions on freedom of religion and belief; it is one of thirteen countries in the world that punish atheism by death. The Theocracy also passed a law in 27 April 2018, that makes the death penalty mandatory for anyone convicted of "blasphemous speech" and acts deemed "sacrilegious" So you can see that all non muslims have been converted or eliminated from the country since its independence from 1960. It's a pretty hardcore nation.

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mauritania/

https://www.patheos.com/nonreligious-questions/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE8B900520121210

Another fun piece of knowledge is that slavery persists in Mauritania, despite it being outlawed since the French having tried to outlaw it since 1905. Like India, it is the result of a historical caste system, resulting in descent-based slavery (North-Korea style). Those enslaved are usually darker-skinned Haratin sub-saharans, with their owners being lighter-skinned Moors-Berbers.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180825205205/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/jun/08/the-unspeakable-truth-about-slavery-in-mauritania

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mauritania-slavery-un/activists-warn-over-slavery-as-mauritania-joins-u-n-human-rights-council-idUSKCN20K2GS

If you hear that statistic that modern day slavery still exists, with numbers supposedly more in magnitude than had existed with the much smaller world populations way back in the 17th century slave trades, then its because poor Mauritania is one of the main culprits.

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/index.html

====== "Even knowing those facts before we departed, what we found on the ground in West Africa astonished us. Mauritania feels stuck in time in ways both quaint and sinister. It’s a place where camels and goats roam the streets alongside dented French sedans; where silky sand dunes give the land the look of a meringue pie topping; where desert winds play with the cloaks of nomadic herdsmen, making their silhouettes look like dancing flames on the horizon; and where, incredibly, the nuances of a person’s skin color and family history determine whether he or she will be free or enslaved.

That reality permeates every aspect of Mauritanian life — from the dark-skinned boys who serve mint-flavored tea at restaurants to the clothes people wear. A man wearing a powder-blue garment that billows at the arms and has fancy gold embroidery on the chest is almost certainly free and comes from the traditional slave-owning class of White Moors, who are lighter-skinned Arabs. A woman in a loud tie-dye print that covers her hair, but not her arms, is likely a slave. Her arms are exposed, against custom, so she can work." ========(from article)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6938032.stm

Reasons as to how slavery still exists, and how it can be maintained, is that Mauritania is a massive dessert country which is sparsely populated. Tribes are located in isolated regions with little administration or oversight. Nobody can police such a vast place, even if they wanted to. And the Arabs and Moors-Berbers of Mauritania don't care to, they still see it as a practice of 500 years ago, still upheld and justified by their leaders and religion. It's culturally deeply entrenched; what is legally written in their laws, and what is practically practiced in their rural regions, and the vast open desert is different things altogether.

Additionally Mauritania is dogshit poor with very little literacy amongst its populations. There are virtually no economic opportunities, or places to escape tp. If you are a black girl from a family enslaved to a rural Arab-Moor from 300 years ago, then this is all you've ever known, life as an indentured servant. There's nowhere to flee in the hostile desert, and no work or living opportunities outside the indentured servitude from the tribe you are connected with. Mauritania is stuck in time.

I had to go through all of this history to make you dramatards understand the setup for 2008's violence.

2008 MAURITANIAN COUP (the darkness at the end of the light :)

https://web.archive.org/web/20080811172145/http://www.france24.com/en/20080806-president-prime-minister-arrested-apparent-mauritania-coup-soldiers&navi=MONDE

On 6 August 2008 President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was arrested by renegade senior army officers, unknown troops, and a group of generals, and were held under house arrest at the presidential palace in Nouakchott. It's exceedingly complicated to try and understand this shitshow, so I'll try to make it simple. Basically Mauritania has had a long history of dictatorial rule, and way back in 2005, a military coup toppled the dictator Mouaya Ould Sidi Ahmed Ould Taya (long butt arba names are common) and promised to usher in a new era of democratic rule. The military leaders actually had benevolent intentions, and actually delivered their promise of democratic reform, so that in 2007 an actual democtratic vote was had, and Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was voted into presidency. But on August 6 2008, the same military crop of generals stormed the palace, arrested the president and his prime minister and again took matters into their own hands, again.

President Abdallahi was a mediocre president and had failed to unite all the different tribes. He tried to lay blame of his mediocrity on the military. "Abdallahi soon angered General Aziz and his supporters, however, by reaching out to Islamic hardliners, by freeing several suspected terrorists, and by using state funds to build a mosque on the grounds of the presidential palace." Ironically enough, the coup leaders were the reason that Mauritania didn't become even more hardline Islamic and religiously extreme with President Abdallahi trying a last bid to cater to religious fundamentalists. President Abdallahi had done this in a last bid to try and quell country wide protests at the bad poverty stricken conditions in which inhabitants were living.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/8/21/mauritanias-coup-in-the-making

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/06/1

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL6280718

This coup caused even further instability as violence broke out between Islamic fundamentalists and the Mauritania military, as they believed that their Islamic values were being undermined. This catalyst would spread throughout the country, and ethnic tensions and factions would flare up nationwide. Instability and violence followed. This inter tribal violence would also spread to otherneighbouring nations which consisted of sister tribes and ethnicities whom were part of the same groups in violence over the imaginary colonial borders. It's a very complicated story.

I mention all of this so that you guys may understand what happened, and why the sudden killing of French tourists had such an effect on the Dakar Rally organizers.

FROG TOURISTS KILLED:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-12-25/4-french-tourists-killed-in-mauritania/996228

====Police and officials in the north African country of Mauritania say gunmen armed with assault rifles have shot dead four French tourists from the same family and seriously injured a fifth. The tourists were attacked in their car on a road in a popular sightseeing area about 250 kilometres south-east of the capital, Nouakchott (of Mauritania). The fifth tourist, the father of the family, was injured in the leg and taken to hospital, and was in a serious condition. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed the deaths, but says details of the incident are still unclear and an investigation is under way. There is no immediate indication whether the attack was politically motivated or a case of robbery.===========(from article)

https://web.archive.org/web/20110520115301/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hVaUEdvQQVR7qkFLWW9vvJ9UJVvA

https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2007-12-25-voa24/331617.html

The French government would issue a warning to all tourism in the country, and warned of terrorist activity having resurged in Mauritania, and surrounding countries. There was basically no true reliable government in Mauritania to communicate or organize with, and the rest of North Africa had started a series of Islamic Terror at the same time. The inflamation between Islamic Groups and western nations like America and Western Europe had made muslim consensus against previous colonial nations even bleaker than before. The Dakar Rally organizers had legitimate fears that french drivers and other european spectators was under the risk of kidnapping or terrorist attacks, as a proxy target for Jihadists.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/etc/modern.html

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/698048/EPRS_BRI(2021)698048_EN.pdf

THE 2008 DAKAR RALLY IS CANCELLED:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/05/france.sport

https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/2008_Dakar_Rally_cancelled_over_terrorist_threat

https://www.drive.com.au/news/2008-paris-dakar-rally-canceled-due-to-terrorist-threats/

https://mg.co.za/article/2008-01-04-dakar-rally-cancelled-over-security-fears/

======"The annual Dakar rally, arguably the most dangerous endurance event in world sport, was cancelled yesterday on the eve of the race when the organisers said they could not guarantee the competitors' safety due to the threat of terrorism.It is the first time in the 30-year history of the race, in which cars, motorbikes and trucks battle their way across the Sahara desert, that it has been cancelled. The organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), said the threat of an attack, and the murder last December of a French family on holiday in Mauritania that has been blamed on al-Qaida-linked terrorists, meant they could not run the risk."======(from articles)

At last the Dakar Rally organizers chose to cancel the 2008 Dakar Rally in North Africa. The 2008 event, due to start in Lisbon, was cancelled on 4 January 2008 amid fears of attacks in Mauritania following the 2007 killing of four French tourists. Chile and Argentina offered to host subsequent events, which were later accepted by the Dakar Rally Organizers for the 2009 event. And so came the morbidly funny moment where the Dakar rally so named after the Capital of Senegal, and the famed yearly racing endpoint for the grand offroad race for 28 years, would no longer actually take place in Dakar

People would still call the Rally the Dakar however.

SNEED FROM AFRICAN SHITHOLES:

https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-31249820080104

=====However, most African officials criticized the decision, fearing the move will tarnish even more the image of the world’s poorest continent and deprive it of much-needed foreign investment from the passage of hundreds of racing vehicles.

“The cancellation of the rally is not only a great loss for Senegal, but for all the countries crossed by the race,” said Mamadou Dia, a spokesman for Senegal’s Sports Ministry.

“There is an enormous loss of hundreds of millions of francs CFA,” said Moustapha Kane, permanent secretary of the hoteliers association of Senegal. “With regard to the promotion of the image of the destination, it is deplorable that the organising committee has taken this decision.”

Organisers cancelled two stages in Mali last year after French security services said participants risked being kidnapped or ambushed by Algerian rebels. =====(from article)

The Dakar was a yearly event which brought in tons of much needed tourism and foreign money for countries like Senegal and Mauritania. And this loss of foreign revenue was devastating to these dirtpoor countries. They were also angry at the french for giving them a bad name by not putting their people at risk of literal terrorist attacks, but their sneeding fell on death ears, and the Frogs fricked off to find other more stable 3rd world countries in which to host their carmageddon role play fantasy in.

https://www.visordown.com/features/general/death-dakar

=====“The decision to cancel the Dakar was much too hasty,” says Hassan Ould Sidi Ahmed, a journ*list based in Mauritania, the vast tranche of north-western Africa through which the rally passes en route to the Senegalese capital of Dakar. “Was the threat as serious as they claim it was? No, we certainly think it was not.” That threat centres around statements issued by a supposed terrorist cell operating under the wing of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, formerly known as the GSPC. Their stated intentions of targeting the rally were taken seriously after Mauritania hit the headlines in December when four French tourists were shot and killed while taking a roadside picnic on Christmas eve. The victims had nothing to do with Dakar – they were simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” as British terrorism expert Neil Doyle tells us. “Mauritania is very much a new country on the radar,” says Doyle, who wrote the books Terror Tracker and Terror Base UK. “Incidents like this are sparse there.” ====(from article)

This article is amazing sneedfest!

https://www.news24.com/wheels/its-time-the-dakar-rally-returned-to-africa-20180109

======Between 1979 and 2007 the Dakar Rally took place in Europe and Africa, most regularly between Paris and Dakar (in Senegal). However, since the cancellation of the 2008 event, the Dakar has been held in South America.

Now, after a decade of success in South America, one has to ask whether the Dakar Rally will ever return to Africa – the legendary continent that stirred the imagination of the world for almost 30 years and gave ‘the Dakar’ its venerable reputation.

The holding of the Dakar Rally in Africa was never without controversy. It was often criticised for bringing little or no benefit to Africa and its inhabitants. A French newspaper called it a ‘vulgar display of power and wealth in places where men continue to die from hunger and thirst’; while others referred to it as ‘colonialism that needs to be eradicated’.

Regrettably, this sounded the death knell for the entire African continent’s hosting of the Dakar Rally, rather than West Africa alone. During 2008, a decision was taken to relocate the Dakar Rally to South America for safety and security reasons … and it has remained there ever since.======(from article)

Dakar was very vugar! But later in the article, it's all like plz come back

=====Although South America has proven itself a worthy destination for the Dakar Rally, the time has surely come for the event to return to Africa. There’s just something not right about the ‘Dakar’ Rally being held anywhere other than on African soil.

The reality is that Africa has many regions that are both ideal and safe to host the Dakar Rally – Southern Africa being one of them in particular. Not only this, the event would take place in a similar time zone to Europe, boosting follower convenience and viewership.

So, what is the real reason behind the organisers’ decision not to bring the Dakar Rally back to Africa? To me, the continued hosting of the rally in South America constitutes a blatant ‘vote of no-confidence’ in Africa’s ability to host the event.

Afro-pessimism aside, we have to ask ourselves whether Southern African nations would even be interested in hosting the rally? Yes, there are environmental concerns related to carbon footprint and dust, but wouldn’t the unparalleled marketing of Africa’s natural wonders be a boon for the tourism sector and revenue for the host nations?=====(from article)

"Afro-pessimism"

Point is many educated and liberal North and Western Africans are still salty about the move of the Dakar away from the african continent, especially since the Frogs kept the name of the rally as Dakar. They feel it as an unsaid snub of africa, and an unstated view that North africa is too much of an unstable dangerous hellscape to even hold a dirtroad race. Which umm, it kind of is.

THE DAKAR MOVES TO SOUTH AMERICA:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Dakar_Rally

In 2009 the Dakar rally would take place across Argentina and Chile. The 1st time to take place outside of Europe or Africa. The rally organizers assured everyone that the new race would still contain the same level of difficult terrain as the previous races had held through the indomitable Sahara. Fans were fearful that this new route and unknown terrain would be mediocre and a discount knockoff of the previously exciting Sahara sand dunes and craggy rock desserts. However, in spite of all the pesimism, the new South American Dakar was a stunning success! Fans and racers enjoyed the chance of scenery and new beautiful countrisides of Chile and Argentina. The desserts from these routes were more than adequately rugged and challenging for the experienced 4x4 professional racers, and it cemented South America as the Dakar host continent for the next decade.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090120210942/http://www.clutchandchrome.com/News/0901/News0901005.htm

The Dakar Rally kicked off from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. There were 177 cars, 217 motorcycles, 81 trucks and 25 quad bikes with drivers from 49 countries spread over 530 competitors. It was pretty intense.

FAMOUS SOUTH AFRICAN DAKAR RACER:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giniel_de_Villiers

Now the reason why I'm even aware of the Dakar, is one, because I'm the nephew of an uncle whom was a rabid fan of offroading vehicles, and whose entire family participated in 4x4 quadbike rallies since highschool. His son even won national junior championships, and both of them broke their arms falling off a rolling accident at some point during their career. For them, the Dakar was the highlight of their year, and they would have their eyes glued to the television following every step and stage of the Rally, and destroy the TV screen through sheer eyeball pressure.

The second reason is because South Africa has had a champion representing us since 1997 in National and international offroad racing, and having debut since 2003 in the Dakar Rally, in the form of the infamous Giniel de Villiers. With his co-driver/navigator Dennis Murphy, de Villiers has been a prominent participant in the Dakar throughout the 2000s, and had won several stages, keeping RSA in the minds of all the dominant French drivers. Finally in 2009 he would win the overall Dakar Car Category Championship, coincidentally the same year the Dakar had moved over to South America.

SA Fans believed this change in scenery and terrain put virtually all the drivers in discombobulation and discomfort at being in a new previously unknown circumstances, thus everyone was at an even playing field. Where as previously the French has absolutely dominated the Sahara sand dunes, as many of their drivers had much greater experiences with Saharan Post French colonies african countries through which the Dakar routes went. Many of the French drivers were sometimes even descendants of the colonial white french settlers whom had lived in these post-colonial nations or even grew up in places like Senegal, or even still lived in these nations. Thus they had literal everday experience with 4x4 challenges as navigating sand dunes, whereas non-french participants would have acclimatization challenges. In South America, the different terrain evened the playing field, and de Villiers and other foreigners could have a momentary equal attempt at victory.

RANDOM CONTROVESIES OF DAKAR:

Because Dakar is essentially an activity which only rich and upper class people participate in, like Formula 1 type racing, it's been the target of sneed and criticism. Way back from 1980 to 2007, many liberals criticised it as a form of neo-colonialism. Because they believed that the Rally Organizers and racing participants took advantage of the local populations. Some African residents along the race's course in previous years have said they saw limited benefits from the race; that race participants spent little money on the goods and services local residents can offer. The racers produced substantial amounts of dust along the course, and were blamed for hitting and killing livestock, in addition to every year injuring or killing people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dakar_Rally_fatal_accidents

The Dakar race has been pretty hardcore and dangerous. And almost at least one person has died from it every year since it's inception, be it racer, or onlooker or random unfortunate African. "Since 1979, 78 people are known to have died as a result of the Dakar rally. Among the 32 competitor fatalities, 23 were motorcycle related, 6 car related, 1 truck related, and 2 competitors died as a result of local rebel conflict. Up to 1992, collision was the most common cause of death among competitors. Among the 46 non-competitor fatalities are 14 news journ*lists and support crew, 23 spectators, and 4 children.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/rallying/4209700/Dakar-Rallys-dance-with-death-provides-biggest-thrill-of-all.html

DAKAR ALMOST STARTS A WAR IN WESTERN SAHARA IN 2001:

https://web.archive.org/web/20200101094933/https://www.news24.com/xArchive/Archive/Paris-Dakar-rally-defies-war-threats-in-Sahara-20010107

Other drama involving Dakar is that the race nearly caused a fricking war way back in 2001! When they drove routes over western Sahara (a constantly disputed territory like Taiwan or Tibet), they had done so without permission from the locals! Morocco which "controls" one part of Western Sahara, gave their blessings to the organizers, but the other beligirents of Western Sahara fumed at this, and stated that the Polisario Front (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polisario_Front), an ultra-nationalist group which represents a separate ethnic group and tribe within Western Sahara, and had been in conflict with Morocco since forever about sovereignity (Kosovo style), and was nearly into armed conflict at this breach of their land without permission!

http://www.afrol.com/articles/15144

Luckily our idiot friends of the Dakar Organizers learned their lesson and asked the Polisario formal permission to cross their land, and after reparations and rent were paid by the Dakar Organization, the Polisario cooled down and was only too glad to allow Frogmobiles through their land, as long as the French adknowledged them.

Anyways that's all I got, GOOD DAY