Seven days after Total’s licence expired, no updates have been released in Moroccan media or by Total, whether the company will continue its highly dubious operations. A number of French organisations has expressed their concern over Total’s engagement in the occupied territory of Western Sahara.
On 6th December 2012, Total’s 12 months long licence came to an end,
according to a source in Moroccan state oil company ONHYM. Western Sahara Resource Watch only few weeks ago discovered Total’s licence that had been signed in secrecy in December 2011.
”Total undermines the UN peace efforts”, stated a group of 21 French organisations in a
press release dated 6 December 2012, urging the company to pull out of Western Sahara.
The organisations that signed are CEDETIM, APSO and its network, CORELSO, Association Francaise d'Amitié et de Solidarité avec les Peuples d'Afrique (AFASPA), Union syndicale Solidaires, Sortir du Colonialisme, Survie, Caritas Algérie, CNT-F, Association des Sahraouis en France, AARASD, ATTAC, Afriques en lutte, Parti de Gauche, PCF, Les Jeunes Ecologistes, CGT, Fédération pour une alternative sociale et écologique (FASE), ASPS Lorraine, NPA, Les Alternatifs, Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples (MRAP), Europe Ecologie Les Verts.
WSRW is currently awaiting response from Total on
a number of questions relating to their operations.