WSRW and its British partner organisation Western Sahara Campaign have written to Cairn Energy, appealing the firm to uphold its own lema; “doing things right”.
Cairn has recently teamed up with Kosmos Energy for the so-called Boujdour block, an area with oil potential located offshore Boujdour, a coastal town in Western Sahara - a territory that is largely under Moroccan occupation since 1975. Both Kosmos and Cairn erroneously locate the oil block in Morocco, though.
“Under the terms of the farm-in agreement, which is subject to Morocco Government approval, Cairn will pay a promoted share of future exploration costs, towards a 3D seismic survey, an exploration well planned for 2014 and, if successful, two appraisal wells, all subject to a maximum expenditure cap“, the Scotland based oil firm Cairn Energy wrote.
The United Nations consider the search for oil in Western Sahara in violation of international law. In pursueing their quest, in spite of the UN legal opinion, several oil companies are actively contributing to Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara, thereby undermining the UN peace process. Among those is Cairn Energy.
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.