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The companies
The lies
Take actionIt is unseen: a country is carrying out a large-scale oil exploration programme outside of its national borders. When that happened last time, under Indonesia’s occupation of East Timor, the activities were widely condemned and universally acknowledged as illegal.
Yet, this is precisely what Morocco is doing now in Western Sahara. But this time, the entire international community looks away.
Western Sahara is often called the last colony of Africa, and the UN treats it as such; as a Non-Self Governing Territory without an administering power in place. The people of Western Sahara, the Saharawis, have an internationally recognised right to self-determination; the right to decide the future status of the land and its resources.
The Saharawis have time and again spoken out against the oil development in their occupied homeland. Their voices are ignored by Morocco, the international community and the oil companies that choose to side with Morocco, who all seem to put profit over people.
Read up on big oil in Western Sahara, and find out what you can do to help put an end this injustice.
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).