In complete violation of international law, Morocco is pillaging the minerals and phosphates in occupied Western Sahara. This week, their office in El Aaiun was raided by Saharawis. A phosphate worker was killed by Moroccan police.
The UN has established that Saharawis must give its consent if natural resource activities in Western Sahara can take place.
But Morocco and the international firms that take part in the plunder, fail to obtain the consent from the Saharawis.
This video shows the offices of the Department of Mines being raided by angry Saharawis. The raids started as the peaceful protest camp outside El Aaiun was stormed by Moroccan police on Monday 8 October.
In the same disturbances, not far from where this video was recorded, a worker of the phosphate mine was killed by the police. His name is Mahmoud Badi Gargar (below), and he has worked in the phosphate mines for 5 years. Mahmoud leaves wife and 2 kids.
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.
The conflict phosphates - four decades of plunder
For over 40 years, a Moroccan state-owned company has exported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.
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).