Photo above: Moroccan Ambassador to Poland Abderrahim Atmoun inking the deal with Krzysztof Teodor Biesiadecki, CEO of Chimide Polska and Zbigniew Siuśta, Board Member of Zamet-Glowno.

Several Moroccan media outlets have reported that Morocco's Ambassador to Poland has signed on 1 June 2021 a Declaration of Intent for a new Polish Business Cooperation in Western Sahara. 

His co-signatories are representatives of Chimide Polska and Zmaet-Glowno, two companies specialising in the manufacturing of military-style specialised containers. 

Chimide Polska also develops solar panels, structures for target shooting and military exercises, and has in recent years expanded its activities to ICT and telecom. The company's website refers to its consortium with Zmaet-Glowno for the production of highly specialized mobile containers for military usage.

It is that latter business activity that appears to be covered by the Declaration of Intent, which reportedly covers the installation of a production unit “in the southern provinces” – as Morocco refers to the part of Western Sahara that it holds under brutal and illegal occupation since 1975.

Severe human rights violations are committed by the Moroccan government in the territory is holds under occupation. 

Western Sahara Resource Watch has not seen the news confirmed by the Polish government or by the mentioned companies.

It is not the first time that Polish companies express an interest in doing business in occupied Western Sahara. In December 2020, Moroccan media announced that the Polish aeronautical company FlyArgo had decided to expand and invest in “the southern provinces”. FlyArgo specilaises in light multi-usage helicopters that are mainly use for agricultural purposes. The state-owned Polish Development Fund is said to co-finance FlyArgo’s expansion. This has not been confirmed by WSRW.

In January 2021, several other Polish companies allegedly followed suit in expressing an interest in investing in occupied Western Sahara – according to Morocco’s Ambassador to Poland, as reported by Moroccan media. The companies mentioned in this regard are Alumast, which designs and produces composite and aluminium solutions for railway, energy, water supply and road industry; EV Charge, provider of electric vehicle charging stations; and KZWM Ogniochron, manufacturer of firefighting and rescue equipment.