Unemployed Saharawis call for an end to discrimination in fisheries industry.
On 13 January, at 11am local time, Saharawi fishermen in Dakhla staged a peaceful protest outside of the Delegation for Fisheries in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara. It was the second protest this month, taking place only a few days after the previous demo.
The fishermen repeated that they consider themselves on the losing end of the discriminatory employment practices of the Moroccan government's recruitment agency in their occupied hometown. They also demanded an end be put to the depletion of Western Saharan fish stocks by “lobbying of the Moroccan government", as one protester put it.
The fishermen claim they were hindered by the Moroccan police on their way to the protest site. They say the Moroccan security troops are currently intensifying their presence in certain neighbourhoods of the city, against the backdrop of celebrations commemorating the foundation of the Frente Polisario - the internationally recognised representative of the Saharawi people.
One of the richest coastlines in the world
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.
The CJEU Court Cases
Keeping track of the many legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara is not easy. This page offers an overview of the cases concerning the territory that have been before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Tūhana human rights advisors ignore human rights
A consultancy hired to assess phosphate imports from occupied Western Sahara into New Zealand concludes there is no problem.
MEPs push back on Commission over Western Sahara in EU–Morocco trade
MEPs from across the political spectrum sharply criticised the European Commission over its handling of EU-Morocco trade relations covering occupied Western Sahara, raising concerns over legality, transparency and an apparent disregard for Parliament’s role.