Letter correspondence with Atlas Copco, 2017
Published 10 April 2017


23 March 2017, WSRW letter to Atlas Copco. Download here.


Atlas Copco reply mail to WSRW, 10 April 2017 below:
"Thank you for your letter regarding Atlas Copco’s operations in Western Sahara.
As stated in previous communication, as well as on our website, Atlas Copco’s sells products to a Moroccan customer who also has one mine located in Western Sahara. In 2008, Atlas Copco sold two drill rigs to this site through the customer in Morocco. Atlas Copco has enhanced efforts to detect and ensure that no future indirect or direct sales in these regions go to projects that may violate international law. Atlas Copco always complies fully with all trade laws, regulations and sanctions. There is no new information that we can share about the concerned business or the customer.
Kind regards,
Sofia Svingby
Vice President Corporate Responsibility
Atlas Copco AB"


Guterres reminds Morocco: Self-determination still stands

In one of his final statements as UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has made an unequivocal point: the end of MINURSO does not extinguish the inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. It is a reminder that Morocco cannot declare the Western Sahara question closed simply because the UN mission is leaving.

02 November 2026

Morocco allocates vast tracts of occupied Western Sahara

Moroccan budget documents released in late October reveal that the kingdom allocated tens of thousands of hectares of land in occupied Western Sahara to investment projects. 

02 November 2026

When countries defend self-determination while voting against it

Our analysis of yesterday's UN Security Council vote on Western Sahara reveals a striking gap between what some governments said about the Saharawi people's right to self-determination and the resolution they voted to support. 

31 October 2026

US and Russia veto competing Western Sahara resolutions, leaving MINURSO’s future uncertain

In an extraordinary confrontation, both permanent members blocked each other’s proposals on Western Sahara. With no resolution adopted, the UN mission faces an imminent expiry of its mandate.

30 October 2026