Balochistan, a vast, resource-rich desert region spanning Pakistan and Iran is a hotbed of separatist conflict. In his new book titled "Balochistan at a Crossroads," journalist Willem Marx and photographer Marc Watterlot documented the suffering and struggles of Baluch people living in underdeveloped and marginalized communities in both Pakistan and Iran.
Balochistan: Portraits Of Life On The Brink
![A group of fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army pose with their weapons around the campfire.](https://gdb.rferl.org/1ce39c21-217f-43da-ad45-42c3f1cd6450_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A group of fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army pose with their weapons around the campfire.
![A child sits inside a makeshift school building built by Baloch refugees who fled the violence that engulfed their remote rural villages.](https://gdb.rferl.org/1e3ed8a4-b314-49bc-a738-cde3eba58beb_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A child sits inside a makeshift school building built by Baloch refugees who fled the violence that engulfed their remote rural villages.
![The Kech valley to the north of Gwadar is representative of the beautiful but desolate landscapes of the Makran coastal region of Balochistan.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f1a26225-cd2d-4a49-b9b9-ff476bff375c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The Kech valley to the north of Gwadar is representative of the beautiful but desolate landscapes of the Makran coastal region of Balochistan.
![An elderly woman is one of many Baloch people to have moved from a rural region to the area surrounding Gwadar port in search of work.](https://gdb.rferl.org/ef37ae52-6f4c-49c7-90eb-cba7554806e0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An elderly woman is one of many Baloch people to have moved from a rural region to the area surrounding Gwadar port in search of work.