On 30 May, a giant vessel carrying 70.000 tonnes of phosphate rock departed from Western Sahara and set sail for PotashCorp's plant in Louisiana, United States. The vessel, ‘Marto’ is a Marshall Islands flagged bulk carrier that arrived in the occupied territories on 9 May.
Just three weeks ago, at PotashCorp's Annual General Meeting on 10 May, 31,6 percent of the company's shareholders requested an independent human rights assessment to report on the risks of its operations in Western Sahara.
The phosphate mine in Western Sahara is located in the part of Western Sahara that has been illegally occupied by Morocco since 1975 and is being exploited by Morocco's state-owned phosphate company OCP (Office Chérifien des Phosphates). In 2002, the UN Security Counsel's legal counsel concluded that the exploitation or exploration of Western Sahara's natural resources is in violation of international law if undertaken in disrespect of the wishes and the interests of the Saharawi people. The Saharawis, living under Moroccan occupation or displaced into Algerian refugee camps, have consistently spoken out against the trade in phosphates.
PotashCorp ranked in 2015 as the largest importer of phosphates from Western Sahara. The WSRW report P for Plunder 2015, published in April this year, revealed that the company had imported an estimated 474,000 tonnes, worth approximately US $ 56,5 million. The company maintains that it cannot stop importing because doing so would involve a "political judgment" on their side.
Engie paves way for new farmland in occupied Western Sahara
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European Parliament approves updated Morocco aviation agreement… without Western Sahara
The law is settled, but the practice is not. The recently adapted aviation deal excludes Western Sahara - yet the European Commission still tolerates EU airlines operating there regardless.
Trial underway over firebombing of WSRW partner in Denmark
A trial has begun in Copenhagen against four men accused of carrying out the January 2025 arson attack on the offices of WSRW partner Global Aktion.
Heidelberg Materials deepens its role in Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara
The German company confirms once again that its operations in occupied Western Sahara are closely tied to Morocco’s infrastructure expansion in the territory - while continuing to dismiss the Saharawi people’s right to consent.