Photo above: Saharawis on the Canary Islands protesting against Kosmos Energy's oil programme, here in front of a vessel the company used. 

If Morocco finds oil in Western Sahara, the chances are small that the UN will have any success in negotiating peace between Moroccan government and the people of the territory. It will constitute a serious blow to the UN peace efforts.

In April 2014 – in one month from now – Kosmos Energy will do its last surveys offshore Boujdour. In October 2014, Kosmos Energy will start drilling for oil. It will be the first drilling operation in Western Sahara since the Moroccan invasion.

“The process of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara can be sealed within the next six months. Morocco will never accept any solution whatsoever if they find the oil they look for. Defenders of principles of international law, defenders of the rights of the Saharawi people and engaged stakeholders of Kosmos and Atwood must immediately speak out to protest during the next months”, stated Erik Hagen, chair of Western Sahara Resource Watch, underlining that no oil industry should take place in Western Sahara as long as the conflict has not been solved.

The drilling will be carried out by a rig vessel that Kosmos has chartered. The rig is right now being built in South Korea. The rig is called Atwood Achiever, owned by the US company Atwood Oceanics. It is not known which company Kosmos has partnered with to do the final studies from April onwards.

Kosmos has lately claimed that the people of Western Sahara want this drilling to take place and that they even agree to it. However, no Saharawis that WSRW has been in contact with have ever been consulted on the matter.