During its AGM on 9 May 2025, German insurance giant Allianz confirmed that its Moroccan subsidiary, Allianz Maroc, continues to provide insurance services in Western Sahara - a territory listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory, pending decolonization.

The questions raised by Western Sahara Resource Watch at the AGM addressed Allianz’s failure to obtain the consent of the Saharawi people through their internationally recognized representative, the Frente Polisario, as required under international law. Also criticised was the company’s depiction of Western Sahara as part of Morocco in corporate materials, including the 2025 Country Risk Atlas, despite clear legal guidance from the UN, EU, ICJ, ECJ, and African Union recognizing the territory's distinct status.

Rather than directly addressing these concerns, Allianz responded that "we do not comment in detail on matters of international law relating to individual countries, including the Western Sahara region." The company added that its operations are conducted "in accordance with legal requirements and without restricting human rights," and claimed that Allianz Maroc operates in Western Sahara "within the framework established by the Moroccan authorities that currently administer the territory."

These statements once again suggest Allianz’ alignment with the Moroccan state’s unfounded claim over Western Sahara -  a position in contradiction to international law. The UN, International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice, and other international bodies have consistently affirmed that Western Sahara is not part of Morocco, that Morocco has no sovereignty or administering mandate over the territory and that any economic activity in the territory must involve the consent of the Saharawi people.

Ever since Allianz formally launched in Morocco in 2017, through the take-over of Zurich Assurances Maroc, its subsidiary Allianz Maroc has actively promoted Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara through its social media platforms. As documented by WSRW, the company has repeatedly published strong political content celebrating Morocco’s control over Western Sahara, using nationalist rhetoric and imagery to support the illegal occupation. These posts go well beyond standard business communication and place Allianz directly in the realm of political propaganda - a particularly concerning stance for a firm that claims to uphold human rights and international norms.

“Allianz Maroc extends its congratulations to all Moroccans on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the recovery of Oued Ed-Dahab", the German company's Moroccan branch published on its LinkedIn profile on 14 August 2024. 

The location Oued Ed-Dahab refers to the southern part of Western Sahara that was occupied by Morocco in 1979, four years after Morocco's illegal invasion of the territory had begun. Morocco had initially agreed with Mauritania to split the territory in two. When Mauritania withdrew, Morocco occupied that part, with the UN General Assembly plenary on 21 September 1979 stating that it “Deeply deplores the aggravation of the situation resulting from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the extension of that occupation to the territory recently evacuated by Mauritania; 6. Urges Morocco to join in the peace process and to terminate the occupation of the Territory of Western Sahara”.

This act, one of the most serious violations of international law since the second world war, is what Allianz Maroc congratulates the 45th anniversary of. 

WSRW wrote in 2023 how it had posted similar propaganda material on LinkedIn and Instagram, 14 August 2023. These posts are still there, published.  

WSRW wrote Allianz in 2023, asking Allianz about its operations in the territory, and to remove the unfortunate statements of support to the brutal occupation of the territory. This has not happened, and the company never responded. The Facebook accounts of the Allianz Morocco and its office in Dakhla have since been removed. One of the propaganda statements from Allianz Morocco is now on the photo gallery of the Facebook account of the Allianz mother company.  

At its AGM, Allianz did not indicate any willingness to retract propagandistic statements, amend misleading geographic representations or engage with Saharawi authorities. Instead, the firm vaguely invoked “responsible economic activity” as a contribution to the peace process in Western Sahara. 

“This opaque declaration ignores the fundamental issue: Allianz’ operations in Western Sahara are taking place without the consent of the people of the territory, effectively legitimising the occupation,” said Nina Matzik of Western Sahara Resource Watch. “This raises serious concerns about the sincerity of the firm’s purported human rights commitments and its grasp of international legal standards. It renders Allianz’ claims of ethical and responsible business practices in Western Sahara unconvincing.”

WSRW calls on Allianz to:

• Cease all activities in occupied Western Sahara until the consent of the Saharawi people is obtained.
• Remove all corporate content — including social media posts — that promotes Morocco’s illegal claim over the territory.
• Rectify all misleading materials that misrepresent the legal status of Western Sahara.
• Respect international legal norms, including the right to self-determination.

A translation of the questions by WSRW and Dachverband der Kritischen Aktionärinnen und Aktionäre, as well as of answers from the executive board of Allianz during the 2025 AGM, can be accessed here. A transcript of the questions and answers in German can be found here.

 

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