One year ago, a wind farm project that Morocco is undertaking in occupied Western Sahara was turned down when seeking to obtain UN-sponsored carbon credits. Now, that same project has been approved by another, private credit issuing agency.
In July, Total finished one year of seismic exploration offshore Western Sahara. A new video shows the vessels at Las Palmas harbour, just after their assigment had ended.
In the coming months, the European Union will decide whether or not to agree to the newly proposed fisheries accord with Morocco, allowing EU vessels to access Western Sahara's waters. The Saharawi fishermen speak out against the deal: “The agreement is an act of theft and a serious threat to the environment”. Read their official statement here.
L'associazione Western Sahara Resource Watch ha pubblicato oggi stesso un rapporto che descrive come il Marocco intenda costruire impanti di energia rinnovabile di più di 1000 MW (megawatt) nel Sahara Occidentale, un territorio che il Marocco occupa parzialmente.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has today launched a report detailing how Morocco intends to build over 1000 MW (megawatts) of renewable energy plants in Western Sahara, a territory that Morocco partially occupies.
WSRW has received photos of the vessel 'Trio Vega' loading sand in the harbour of El Aaiun, the capital of occupied Western Sahara.
In early July, WSRW contacted the energy companies that are pre-qualified to build windmills in occupied Western Sahara. The response has been meager.
Two vessels that have been contracted by French oil company Total to search occupied Western Sahara's seabed for oil, are currently at anchor in the harbour of Las Palmas. See videos and photos here.
Two companies - linked to each other - both claim to have ownership over the Boujdour Offshore Shallow block in occupied Western Sahara.
The American company General Electric has communicated to WSRW that they are no longer participating in the tender to construct two wind farms in occupied Western Sahara.
Morocco claims to be in negotiation with an oil company for a new block offshore Western Sahara.
Dozens of Saharawi fishermen who took part in the protest last Saturday in the harbour of Dakhla have been summoned by the Moroccan police.
On Saturday, Saharawi fishermen blocked the entrance to the harbour of Dakhla for two hours, in protest of abominable working conditions, discriminatory recruiting practices and overfishing.
Morocco’s phosphate mine in occupied Western Sahara receives key Swedish equipment.
The Moroccan authorities have allegedly barred the UN Peace Mission in Western Sahara from entering the harbour of Dakhla, located in the south of the occupied territory.
While trade unionists marched worldwide in celebration of workers' rights on Labour Day, trade unionists in occupied Western Sahara were prevented from doing the same.
The Clean Development Mechanism insists on following normal approval procedures regarding Morocco's for projects in Western Sahara.
One of Switzerland’s largest supermarket chains has stated it will replace the ‘Morocco’ labels with ‘Western Sahara’ on melons that are imported from the occupied territory.
The underground water reserves of occupied Western Sahara are allegedly being drained by the agricultural industry in the territory.
The Moroccan Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Youssef Amrani, says that the European Parliament is a “dinosaur” that obstructs efforts to reach a new EU-Morocco fisheries agreement.
A group representing over 60 MEPs has sent a letter to EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton and Commissioner for Fisheries Maria Damanaki, requesting them to respect the Saharawi people's wishes and interests when seeking to conclude a new fish deal with Morocco.
The new Dutch government has reiterated the position of their predecessors: Products from Western Sahara cannot enter the EU market labelled as from Morocco.
Chinese company BGP affirms to WSRW undertaking seabed research on behalf of French oil firm Total. This article has been updated: Seismic study to end 30 March 2013.
Despite ongoing protest, German multinational Siemens is currently in the process of shipping windmill parts to El Aaiun, occupied Western Sahara. The company is partnering with the same royal family that brutally occupied the territory.
Read the official text on the action brought by the Frente Polisario against the Council of the European Union, as published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 23 February 2013.
In a landmark initiative, the liberation movement of Western Sahara has referred an EU-Morocco free trade agreement to the European Court of Justice. The news was three days ago discreetly published in the official EU journal.
In view of the incredibly harsh verdicts in the Gdeim Izik trial, which failed to meet the international standards for a fair trial, Western Sahara Resource Watch has appealed to the European Commission to put ongoing discussions for increased trade with Morocco on hold.
LATEST: Tripoliven clarifies it does not import from Western Sahara.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has received this photo of the Geo Service I, the offshore supply ship accompanying the vessel BGP Prospector that is carrying out seismic seabed research for French oil giant Total.
The military court in Rabat has convicted 25 Saharawi activists to shockingly tough sentences. All were arrested in relation to the Gdeim Izik protest camp; a peaceful manifestation disputing the Saharawi people’s continual marginalisation in their occupied country.
Swedish minister for trade clarifies that no states in the EU recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, and that therefore products made in the territory cannot be given trade preference under the EU-Morocco trade agreements.
Negotiations between the European Commission and Morocco in Rabat were aborted yesterday. New talks are to take place before the end of February.
Unemployed Saharawis call for an end to discrimination in fisheries industry.
This is the press release that was sent out by Siemens on 30 January 2012.
The Spanish construction group Secopsa has obtained a contract of 6.8 million € from the Moroccan government to redevelop an area of El Aaiun, the occupied capital of Western Sahara.
No agreement was reached during the third round of talks between the EU and Morocco, yesterday in Rabat. The parties have agreed to meet again at the end of the month.
The planned drilling of a well on the Zag block in - most probably - occupied Western Sahara has now been set to first half of 2014.
WSRW has received the statement below (in English and Arabic) form Saharawi fishermen in Dakhla, regarding their protest against discriminatory employment practices and destructive marine management, on Friday 11 January 2013.
The US company FMC has stated that they have ended all Western Sahara imports, and that this also applies to its subsidiaries.
This morning, Saharawi fishermen gathered in front of the Delegation of Fisheries in Dakhla, to protest against discriminating employment practices and destructive marine management.
Shipping company Seatrade has again sent a vessel to transport frozen fish out of occupied Western Sahara.
A new industry is emerging in occupied Western Sahara: mining and exports of salt.
After a short Christmas break, the controversial French-Chinese oil exploration offshore occupied Western Sahara has resumed.
Two vessels are about to arrive New Zealand with phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
The Swedish organisation Emmaus Stockholm has decided to support the work of WSRW for 2013.
A subsidiary of China's national oil company seems these days to do seismographic studies on Total's block in occupied Western Sahara. WSRW today protested against the operations.