While the EU Court of Justice's verdict on the legality of applying the EU-Morocco trade deal to occupied Western Sahara is only weeks away, the EU Commission plans to visit the territory to assess the deal's impact.
Yet another shipment of US gas is about to arrive to occupied Western Sahara.
Polish companies intend to invest in the Moroccan military in the part of Western Sahara that is under Moroccan military occupation.
WSRW has received access to the 2019 ‘Natural Resources Sovereignty Act’ of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
For the third time in a week, Siemens Gamesa is now shipping windmill masts from Spain to occupied Western Sahara.
In a press release of 6 July, Western Sahara's liberation movement “condemns in the strongest possible terms” Siemens Gamesa’s involvement and this week's exports into the occupied territory.
Today, Siemens Gamesa is loading large masts onboard a vessel in Motril, Spain, to be exported to occupied Western Sahara.
Blueberries “made in Morocco” will in the near future not only be made in Morocco, but also in occupied Western Sahara. WSRW calls on retailers to take measures already now.
A shipment of gas from the US is arriving tomorrow in occupied Western Sahara. This is the second time in just a month.
The US company will address the issue of Western Sahara next time a shipper transports gas from their gas terminal in the UK.
The United Kingdom was the prime exporter of gas into occupied Western Sahara in 2020.
40 protesters yesterday set up a road-block to the entry of Ballance Agri-Nutrients in New Zealand, leading importer of conflict minerals from Western Sahara.
A subsidiary of French multinational VINCI SA will carry out a project that is essential to connecting the controversial energy projects of occupied Western Sahara to Morocco's national electricity grid.
A Moroccan vessel carrying out controversial marine research, paid for by the European Union, is again spotted in the waters of occupied Western Sahara.
WSRW calls for the publication of confidential legal opinions and of the study of Global Diligence.
For a little while, ENGIE had published on its website hints about who it had actually "consulted" when doing business in occupied Western Sahara.
The German building materials giant sides with Morocco in the Western Sahara conflict, avoiding any questions on its own legal obligations in the occupied territory.
The French company Alcatel Submarine Networks SpA, partially owned by Nokia, has laid telecom cables in occupied Western Sahara.
India and New Zealand stand out as the main importers of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara, in WSRW’s newest annual report on the controversial trade.
At its Annual General Meeting, Siemens Gamesa was as evasive as ever with regard to core questions about the company's involvement in occupied Western Sahara.
The WSRW report P for Plunder 2021 contains information on all 22 vessels that departed occupied Western Sahara from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.
The German industrial engineering giant is unclear whether it will steer away from future projects in occupied Western Sahara.
The French company ENGIE will build infrastructure in Western Sahara, and engaged consultancy firm Global Diligence to whitewash its operations with the occupying power.
The High Court in New Zealand has dismissed carrying out a judicial review on controversial investments in relation to the Western Sahara phosphate trade, but underlines the reputational risk for the Pacific nation.
The EU Commission and Council are 2 and 3 March being questioned by the Court of Justice regarding the EU's trade and fisheries agreements in occupied Western Sahara.
Most of the EU's financial support to Morocco under the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement has been spent on occupied land, new government report reveals.
Siemens Energy will only talk with the government of Morocco with regard to Western Sahara, according to recent company statement.
The German company Continental has not renewed its supply contract with the Moroccan national phosphate company that exploits the controversial Western Sahara phosphate mine.
WSRW has tracked shipments of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara all the way to an industrial compound in Cubatão, Brazil.
The EU Council will tomorrow discuss a proposal to allow Morocco to join the Interbus Agreement – but is clear that the deal will not be extended into Western Sahara.
Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Energy and Enel Spa have been excluded by Norway's largest private asset manager for contributing to violations of international law in occupied Western Sahara.
WSRW is pleased to announce that we finally have a new website! Please be patient with us in the transition. Full functionality will be expected from end of January 2021. Errors can be reported to info@wsrw.org.
To convince Morocco to recognise Israel, Trump not only recognised Morocco's claim to Western Sahara, but allegedly also promised investments in the Moroccan king's personal energy firm which operates in the occupied land with Siemens.
US president Donald Trump issued a statement today in which he backs Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara and the opening of a consulate in Dakhla, "to promote economic and business opportunities".
Through the deal, Russian trawlers will fish exclusively in the waters off occupied Western Sahara.
Four years have passed since the EU Court of Justice ruled that products from occupied Western Sahara cannot be part of EU’s trade agreements with Morocco. Today, WSRW presents an extensive report showing the efforts that the EU is taking to politically undercut the ruling.
The Moroccan Court of Cassation yesterday confirmed the harsh sentences rendered against the so-called Gdeim Izik prisoners. The group took part in the mass protest on socio-economic marginalisation in Western Sahara in 2010.
The Saharawi government has declared that it now considers "the entire territory of the Sahrawi Republic, including its terrestrial, maritime and air spaces, a war zone", advising all countries and economic operators to steer away from the territory.
WSRW submits that Morocco's violation of the ceasefire in occupied Western Sahara, plunging the territory into war and putting lives of Saharawi civilians at risk, is a violation of the EU-Morocco fish deal's human rights clause.
The EU Commission has clarified that Western Sahara is not covered by any EU aviation agreement, and that it does not seek to include it in the EU-Morocco aviation deal. Yet some EU airlines are still offering flights into the territory - now effectively a war zone.
The entry gates to factories of Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients around New Zealand were today blocked by pro-Saharawi actitivists denouncing the imports of conflict minerals from occupied Western Sahara.
19 Members of the EU Parliament today urged the EU to warn the two companies Enel and Siemens about the legal and ethical risk that they run in partnering with Morocco for operations on occupied land.
Tension in Western Sahara has not been this high for years.
Swedish company Azelio will not clarify whether its deal with the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy also covers renewable projects in occupied Western Sahara. The details appear in a WSRW report published today.
The Norwegian certification company DNV GL today stated that it is will phase out its participation in Soluna's controversial bitcoin project in occupied Western Sahara
"We condemn Siemens Gamesa for its lack of respect for basic human rights", stated Western Sahara Resource Watch, calling on investors to terminate ongoing engagement processes and exclude the company from their portfolios. The company has yet again signed a large contract for what it refers to as "Southern Morocco".
The large Russian trawl fleet that normally zig-zags the waters off occupied Western Sahara at this time of year is nowhere to be found.
The Swedish mining equipment company Epiroc has announced that it will no longer supply the controversial Bou Craa phosphate mine in occupied Western Sahara. German company Continental should follow the example, WSRW comments.
The Board of Deutsche Post AG completely missed the opportunity to explain its controversial activities in occupied Western Sahara.
Western Sahara Resource Watch calls for immediate and unconditional release of the group of leading Saharawi activists who were arrested in 2010 for advocating for socio-economic rights of the Saharawi people.
Information has surfaced on Morocco's plans for a third solar plant in occupied Western Sahara, to be constructed in close proximity to the agri-business in Dakhla.
The French company plans to commence construction later this year.
As the company will not respond to questions about the activities of its subsidiary DHL in occupied Western Sahara, WSRW asks shareholders to raise the matter at the upcoming AGM.
While Continental’s controversial supply contract in occupied Western Sahara has expired, the company remains silent on a potential renewal - even in the face of shareholders' questions.
The Indian engineering giant Larsen & Toubro erects large energy infrastructure in occupied Western Sahara.
The blockchain computing company Soluna set on building a 900 MW wind farm in occupied Western Sahara, does not respond to questions from civil society.
Siemens has created a new company that will inherit its operations on occupied land in Western Sahara, but still refuses to clarify whether the people of the territory have actually consented to those operations.
In the UN Human Right Council today, Spain failed to assume responsibility with regard to the exploitation of occupied Western Sahara's natural resources. Namibia is not having it.
The Swiss trade statistics reveal that 2019 was the first year without any imports of fruits and vegetables from occupied Western Sahara.
The German cement giant HeidelbergCement states that the company's operations in occupied Western Sahara are perfectly lawful according to a due diligence audit carried out by... HeidelbergCement.
The German government has released data of trade with fishmeal from plants located in occupied Western Sahara that confirms figures previously released by authorities in Bremen.
The value of the fishmeal exports from occupied Western Sahara to Turkey in 2019 may have been larger than the entire phosphate trade from the occupied territory.
Western Sahara Resource Watch presents all vessels that transported petroleum products into the occupied Western Sahara last year.
The pressure is mounting on the New Zealand importers of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara. Today protesters in Christchurch erected roadblocks to stop trucks from transporting the conflict minerals into the local Ravensdown fertiliser factory.
Continental’s controversial contract in occupied Western Sahara is two weeks away from expiration. If renewed, WSRW asks owners to raise the matter at upcoming AGM.
A vessel transporting Norwegian gas was supposed to arrrive in occupied Western Sahara tomorrow, but has now steered away last minute, as ordered by the exporter in Norway.
The World Bank has yesterday removed erroneous maps of Morocco that mistakenly included the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara.
See also: World Bank in discordance with the UN on Western Sahara.
Russian and Moroccan representatives recently met to further discuss a new fisheries agreement covering the waters offshore occupied Western Sahara, but a new deal seems still pending.
The World Bank seems to assist Morocco in promoting renewable energy projects in the occupied Western Sahara, as it fails to distinguish between the territory of Morocco and the Non-Self-Governing Territory.
Read also: World Bank removed erroneous maps
Two months after gas from a terminal in Sweden was exported into occupied Western Sahara, the Austrian company behind the shipment promises it will never happen again.
Germany's state-owned development bank will not finance projects in Western Sahara.
Last week, the German multinational acquired another cement factory in occupied Western Sahara.
While other companies internationally have managed to find alternative sources of phosphate - and in spite of a request of the New Zealand government that they do the same - the Kiwi fertilizer industry seems unwilling to drop its imports from occupied Western Sahara.
An analysis of the legal aspects of the conflict in Western Sahara has led the research department of the German parliament to conclude that there are substantiated violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention by Morocco, that is to be considered an occupying power.
Trucks of the US company Caterpillar transport phosphate rock in occupied Western Sahara.
50,000 tonnes of liquified gas arrived in occupied Western Sahara last year, according to our first overview of this key trade.
The Portuguese company Gesto has been contracted by Morocco to explore the geothermal potential of occupied Western Sahara - but chooses to refer to the territory as Morocco.
Western Sahara Resource Watch for the first time presents an overview of the transports of frozen fish from occupied Western Sahara. Near all of it ends up in West African harbours.
As Continental renegotiates its contract with Morocco's national phosphate company, it is still not clear whether the German group intends to limit its operations to Morocco proper or extend them into occupied Western Sahara.
What is EU's position on labelling of products from occupied Western Sahara? The EU Commission has now for the third time published a response to a parliamentary question on the matter, but the latest version fails to address the question.
The multinational company that facilitates the controversial phosphate exports in Western Sahara receives criticism from a group of German organisations.
Tomorrow, the European Parliament is scheduled to vote on an amendment to the EU-Morocco Aviation Agreement - without any clarifications from the EU Commission as to how the proposal aligns with the 2018 Ruling of EU Court of Justice, invalidating the application of that very Agreement to Western Sahara.
Update: the European Parliament has postponed all votes scheduled to take place on 10 March to a later date, due to the COVID-19-crisis.
The UK Government is in the final stages of entering into a new trade agreement with Morocco including the territory of Western Sahara, without consideration of recent EU and British court rulings, or of the people of the occupied land.
New Zealand’s national pension fund invests in Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients – which both import phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara. That does not align with its statutory obligation to safeguard the country’s reputation, Polisario official says.
The export of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara has never been lower than in 2019. This is revealed in the new WSRW report P for Plunder, published today.
A clarification by the EU Commission on labelling of products from Western Sahara was published, then removed, then published again and has now been removed again from EU websites.
Two weeks ago, the EU Commission announced that products from Western Sahara should be labelled accordingly, only to withdraw that statement the very next day. Today, the Commission reaffirms its original position.
Morocco has launched a tender for the construction of solar plants at nine different sites, including in occupied Western Sahara.
On 5 February 2020, the EU Commission announced that products from Western Sahara should be labelled accordingly. But about 24 hours later, all traces to that statement had been removed from EU websites.
For the fourth consecutive year, the German engineering company dodges questions at its Annual Shareholders Meeting as to whether it has obtained the consent of the people of Western Sahara to operate on their land.
The European Commission said yesterday that products originating from Western Sahara must be labelled as from Western Sahara, not Morocco.
Namibia and East-Timor have today recommended Spain to respect the Saharawi people's right to free, prior and informed consent with regard to the exploitation of Western Sahara's natural resources.
The contract of German engineering company Continental that covers maintenance work on the phosphate conveyor belt in occupied Western Sahara expires in five months.
The WSRW report P for Plunder 2020 to be published in February 2020 will contain information on all 20 vessels that departed occupied Western Sahara from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.
In 2010, the Dutch company Fugro promised to never again undertake operations in occupied Western Sahara. On Christmas Eve 2019, their vessels returned.
Next month, Spain’s human rights track record will be reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. WSRW asks UN Member States to raise the rights of the people of Western Sahara, for whom Spain continues to bear responsibility.