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An Indian man has declared himself king of Bir Tawil, an unclaimed desert strip between Egypt and Sudan.
Suyash Dixit, a web developer from India, is a risk-taker who finds pleasure in adventures. In the latter part of 2017, he embarked on a six-hour journey to stake a claim to the uninhabited land. The risky journey required crossing the desert and a military area. To assert his claim to Bir Tawil, Dixit planted a flag and some seeds on the desert grounds. He named the land “Kingdom of Dixit” and established himself as ruler.
Dixit shared details of his adventure on his Facebook account, including his encounter with Egyptian military bases. He even declared that the “kingdom” is open to foreign investments and accepting applications for nationality.
Bir Tawil is the only place in the world that does not belong to any country or state because of unresolved colonial disputes over African borders when the British had control over Egypt and Egyptian influence on Sudan. Since then, the area has been considered desolate.
Dixit plans to seek official recognition of his new territory from the United Nations (UN). However, a UN spokesperson stated that defining borders is not part of UN’s scope. According to international laws, only a state or nation can assert ownership on an unclaimed and unoccupied territory.
Dixit is not the first to declare ownership of Bir Tawil. A farmer from Virginia, USA, Jeremiah Heaton, claimed Bir Tawil as his own in June 2014 to fulfill his daughter’s wish of becoming a real-life princess. Likewise, Siberian radio operator Dmitry Zhikharev [DMEE-tree ZEE-kuh-ref] planted his own flag in the desert strip in 2014 with his friend whom he proclaimed as the ‘Count of Bir Tawil.’