Conflict beach taking shape in Canary Islands

The construction work on the controversial beach of Mogán in Gran Canary started 2 December.

Published 04 December 2019

On 2 December 2019, maintenance work on the Mogán beach began. Mogán is a town and municipality in the southern tip of the Gran Canary Island, Spain.

Controversially, the municipality had ordered tonnes of sand from occupied Western Sahara to renovate the tourist spot. The purchase contributes to finance the illegal Moroccan occupation of the former Spanish colony. 

Western Sahara Resource Watch documented the arrival of the first trucks with sand, transported to Mogán from the Arinaga harbour. The sand masses had been transported on board the vessel Dura Bulk. WSRW wrote about the upcoming plans on 1 December. 

All videos and photos below are made by WSRW and are free of use. No credit needed. 

WSRW has got access to six protest letters that the civil society in Canary Islands sent to different public institutions on the island on 28 November 2019: Letter to Alcaldia, letter to Ayuntamiento de Mogan, letter to Delegación del gobierno, letter to Patronato de Turismo, letter to Consejería de Política Territorial, letter to Secretaria del ayuntamiento.

Download the Youtube video (134 Mb).
 

moganbeach1_609.jpg
Download high resolution 

 

moganbeach2_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach3_609.jpg
Download high resolution 

 

moganbeach4_609.jpg
Download high resolution 

 

moganbeach14_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach13_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach5_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach6_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach7_609.jpg
Download high resolution 

 

moganbeach8_609.jpg
Download high resolution 

 

moganbeach9_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach10_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach11_609.jpg
Download high resolution

 

moganbeach12_609.jpg
Download high resolution

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.

15 June 2026

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.

05 June 2026

The conflict phosphates - four decades of plunder

For over 40 years, a Moroccan state-owned company has exported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.  

29 May 2026

Record low number of importers of Western Sahara phosphates

Only three companies imported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara in 2025 - the lowest number ever recorded. The findings appear in our annual P for Plunder report, released today.

29 May 2026