Anyway, few of Mr Anwar's sympathisers view his treatment as part of a broader problem of civil liberties, according to Sankara Nair, his lawyer.

ECONOMIST: More are held indefinitely

The pan-African GGW was first proposed in the 1980s by Thomas Sankara, head of state in Burkina Faso, as a means to stop the growing of the Sahara.

FORBES: Great Green Wall Plans to Stop Sahara