Citizens of Islandia again visited Sudan and once again had the chance to meet the rulers of Bir Tawil, alas our 2022 trip was somewhat different to our one in 2019. This is the story of Islandia and Bir Tawil in 2022.
To read about our 2019 trip click here.
What is Bir Tawi
Bir Tawil is the only unclaimed piece of land on earth, or as they call it terra nullus. This to an extent makes it no mans land and in theory open for anyone to claim, something that has been done by many people.
The initial trend was started by a Mr Heaton who in 2014 went there to claim it and thus make his daughter a princess. Alas the power seems to have gone to hiss head and the last time we spoke he threatened with Saudi mercenaries – not exactly ideal.
Others have since claimed it, which led many members of the Principality to visit in conjunction with Young Pioneer Tours in 2019.
To read about 5 micronations that have claimed Bir Tawil click here (link to YPT).
What happened in 2019?
A group went to Bir Tawil only to find that far from being unpopulated it not only indeed had people, but also gold mines and heavily armed individuals. It turns out they were not too keen on people turning up with flags and trying to claim their land.
Now while we were treated very hospitably, we were also essentially held under guard until a diplomatic solution could be found, which it was.
You can read our full story here (link to Amazon The Men in no Mans land).
Eventually things were fixed, but we were left in no doubt that the true rulers of the area were the Ababda tribe and they had no intention of needing any of their land.
Where we there to claim Bir Tawil?
As the leader of the expedition I have to sat a few things here. While we did not explicitly go to claim Bir Tawil we did go there with t-shirts and a flag, although other flags were also present, including one from our friends at Sealand.
To read about Sealand click here (link to www.selandgov.org).
After learning if the actual situation though, we soon changed our tact and instead caught out cordial relations with the Bir Tawil/Ababda Sultanate.
The Bir Tawil Protectorate
In 2020 The Principality of Islandia duly declared a protectorate stars over Bir Tawil, meaning that we do not recognise any claims to Bir Tawil, such as those of the Kingdom of North Sudan, or the Kingdom of Dixit, butt rather the sovereignty that the Ababda tribe hold over the area.
We thus proclaimed that we would do everything to protect the sovereignty of Bir Tawil and its people and as such proclaimed it the a protectorate of Islandia – not something we hold sovereignty over.
You can read about this here ( link to https://www.letsbuyanisland.com/bir-tawilprotectorate/).
Islabdia abd Bir Tawil 2022
Representing the Principality on behalf of the crown was Gareth Johnson, head of Security for Islandia, who in a cordial meeting stressed our hopes for continued good relations, and our support for the sovereignty of the Ababda tribe over the area.
While we did get the chance to speak to Bir Tawil nobility and get quit e close to the area, permission to enter was granted too late for a full state visit to the protectorate.
It is though hoped that this will be able to take place in 2023.
To check the next trip to Bir Tawil click here (link to YPT Bir Tawil tour).
