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.
![On the outskirts of the port town of Gwadar, a Baloch woman returns to her home, built primarily from branches and cloth rags.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8a0319da-33d0-4df9-882d-35fe5938da37_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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On the outskirts of the port town of Gwadar, a Baloch woman returns to her home, built primarily from branches and cloth rags.
![A girl in Quetta wears a bandana supporting the Baloch Liberation Army, a nationalist militant group.](https://gdb.rferl.org/acbf2ee0-ea14-4e78-b40c-0fb33203f8bc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A girl in Quetta wears a bandana supporting the Baloch Liberation Army, a nationalist militant group.
![A rally in Quetta to mark the day in 1948 when Pakistan annexed a short-lived independent Baloch state.](https://gdb.rferl.org/ff1eca30-460a-4bdb-8a00-1d51b6b3c774_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A rally in Quetta to mark the day in 1948 when Pakistan annexed a short-lived independent Baloch state.
![Residents from a nearby village visit a guerrilla encampment belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army.](https://gdb.rferl.org/22c8de39-5732-45ce-abeb-40848b465a2f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Residents from a nearby village visit a guerrilla encampment belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army.
![Not far from the strategic Bolan Pass, a member of the Baloch Liberation Army keeps watch.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f819af83-5885-4df3-ae94-8b48627ed8d0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Not far from the strategic Bolan Pass, a member of the Baloch Liberation Army keeps watch.
![Outside the front door of the late tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti's home, several Bugti tribesmen stand guard, while others wait for an audience with their chieftain.](https://gdb.rferl.org/cb6ca7f8-40b1-4deb-b93f-7f0926bcdaa6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Outside the front door of the late tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti's home, several Bugti tribesmen stand guard, while others wait for an audience with their chieftain.
![Insurgent fighters belonging to the Baloch nationalist movement sit in the back of a pick-up truck near the town of Dera Bugti.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f14b5fc4-c253-4900-9438-3b6c36d8a783_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Insurgent fighters belonging to the Baloch nationalist movement sit in the back of a pick-up truck near the town of Dera Bugti.
![An AK-47 that has been personalized by its owner, a member of the Baloch Liberation Army.](https://gdb.rferl.org/284fb928-fc01-47f3-bd06-1598c0fadb8e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An AK-47 that has been personalized by its owner, a member of the Baloch Liberation Army.
![Imdad Baloch once headed up a Baloch student movement before he was abducted and tortured by agents from a Pakistani military intelligence agency.](https://gdb.rferl.org/1a6413f3-7d97-4cb2-ae5c-300fcf1735b1_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Imdad Baloch once headed up a Baloch student movement before he was abducted and tortured by agents from a Pakistani military intelligence agency.
![During the intense afternoon heat, Baloch Liberation Army guerillas travel along the floor of a valley in territory under their control.](https://gdb.rferl.org/31c18e09-a1af-4463-a63c-dd112583c3db_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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During the intense afternoon heat, Baloch Liberation Army guerillas travel along the floor of a valley in territory under their control.