The Atwood Achiever, the oil rig charted by Kosmos Energy at a rate of over US $ 500,000 per day, arrived yesterday noon in the harbour of Walvis Bay, Namibia. It did it last bunkering before arriving in the occupied territory.
Kosmos Energy claims its oil exploration is in accordance with the 2002 UN Legal Opinion. If the company has failed to seek the consent of the Saharawi people, that it would not be the case, according to the author of that opinion, quoted by UN info centre today.
French company Alstom is building an electricity line through Western Sahara. Elghalia Boujamaa and her family was beaten and evacuated this morning by police.
14 October, women in El Aaiun, Western Sahara took to the streets to protest the upcoming drilling of Kosmos Energy in occupied Western Sahara.
Three Japanese fishing vessels have the last 48 hours been fishing in Saharawi waters. WSRW has asked the Japanese government to intervene.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has today launched a report on Kosmos Energy’s unscrupulous plans for test well drilling in occupied Western Sahara. In a few weeks time, the company may permanently damage the Saharawi people's aspirations and rights to freedom and independence, as it commences unethical and illegal oil drilling in Africa's last colony.
A subsidiary of Glencore Xstrata has been awarded two licences off occupied Western Sahara. The multinational company misplaces the locations of the blocks – placing them in the occupying country, Morocco.
The vessel 'Atwood Achiever' which will drill in occupied Western Sahara is getting closer. After some ten days under the radar, crossing the Indian Ocean, the vessel has now appeared off the coast of Madagascar.
The European Court of Justice has in an answer to a question from a Swedish court of appeal informed that private fisheries agreements with Moroccan authorities are not allowed outside of the context of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement.
Article published by AFP 19. november 2013
The “on-the-ground” partners of oil company Kosmos Energy in occupied Western Sahara do not base their work on local expertise. Far from it. They are led by directors with a clear pro-Moroccan approach to the conflict. Kosmos Energy is looking for the answers they want to hear - from the wrong people.
The oil rig Atwood Achiever is only a few weeks away from arriving Western Sahara. After a stop-over in Singapore, it is now heading towards the occupied territory.
For the first time in almost three years, an EU member state fishing vessel has been detected in the waters of occupied Western Sahara.
The EU will pay Morocco to fish offshore Western Sahara - a territory which is under Moroccan occupation. Former UN Legal Counsel calls the EU's misuse of his assessment to defend fisheries in Western Sahara "preposterous", according to TIME magazine.
Kosmos Energy's supply vessel Geo Service 1 was observed yesterday in occupied Western Sahara.
A quartet of Danish municipalities have demanded from controversial salt importer Danske Vejsalt that no Western Sahara road salt is sold to them.
Two of the vessels used by Kosmos Energy for its final exploration programme were last week observed in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara.
The rig ship 'Atwood Achiever', which will drill in occupied Western Sahara in a few months, is soon to travel to the territory. Now it is testing offshore Korea.
The Swedish company Wisby Tankers AB is leading in a controversial trade: supplying occupied Western Sahara with petroleum products. New WSRW report today.
At the Spanish government owned harbour of Las Palmas today, Geo Service 1 is bunkering supplies for the illegal Moroccan oil studies offshore occupied Western Sahara. The studies take place not too far away from Spanish waters.
The director of a handicap institution in Western Sahara was attacked by police as he went out to the street with this poster.
WSRW launches today, for the first time, a complete report listing all the clients, volumes, values and shipments relating to Morocco's exports of phosphate rock from occupied territory.
The New Zealand does not wish to clarify its trade relations with occupied Western Sahara, nor to explain what it has done to seek the consent of the people of the territory.
A subsidary of the Chinese national oil company CNPC this month started a new study offshore occupied Western Sahara on behalf of Kosmos Energy. "Severely undermining the UN peace efforts for the occupied territory", stated WSRW, condemning the operation.
Pictures taken in Boujdour harbour, occupied Western Sahara, demonstrate that vulnerable shark species are still being caught by the Moroccan fleet in the territory - in spite of international rules and regulations calling for their protection.
Yesterday evening, dozens of Saharawis gathered in Zaragoza, Spain, to protest against Kosmos Energy - the American oil company that has announced it will commence to drill for oil in occupied Western Sahara later this year.
"Dear chairman of Kosmos Energy. Today I tried to film a friend holding a banner objecting to your company’s activities in my occupied country, Western Sahara. The Moroccan police responded by hitting me. Here you see how my eye looked like afterwards. How should we protest against your presence in our country?", asked 18 year old Elfayda Khayya from Boujdour in a letter to the chairman of Kosmos today.
Saharawis demonstrated 26 February against Kosmos Energy's oil plans in occupied Western Sahara. Find high resolution images here.
The people of Western Sahara continue to speak out against US oil firm Kosmos Energy's plans to drill in their occupied homeland in October 2014.
Check out this image from yesterday. Saharawis in Western Sahara are increasingly frustrated over the US oil company Kosmos Energy's plans to drill in the occupied territory of Western Sahara on behalf of the occupying power Morocco.
An example of doing the wrong thing the right way: Swiss supermarket chain Migros still imports from occupied Western Sahara, but is at least honest about it to its customers.
The US company Kosmos Energy is going to drill in Western Sahara for the first time since the Moroccan occupation. In six months time, it might be too late to stop the company.
A law proposed by the European Commission on responsible sourcing of minerals has been watered down to apply only to imports of processed and unprocessed tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold. Accordingly, it will not include phosphate rock – occupied Western Sahara's white gold that Morocco is profiteering on.
French energy firm Greensolver has agreed to cooperate on Morocco’s solar and wind projects. WSRW has asked them to clarify whether their work will be confined to Morocco proper, or will also cross the border into occupied Western Sahara.
US oil firm Kosmos Energy plans to start exploration drilling in occupied Western Sahara in October or November this year, writes Upstream Online today.
Several big European investment banks have indicated that they will not finance renewable energy projects in occupied Western Sahara. As a result, Morocco is forced to look for other, less ethically inspired funders.
The French oil multinational confirms having renewed for 12 months its licence offshore "the Sahara region". The company keeps following the terminology of the occupying power of Morocco - their partner.
The EU Commission and Morocco have had a third round of talks to agree on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. Such an agreement aims at integrating Morocco’s economy into the EU single market – and, if failing to exclude it, also the illegitimate economy of occupied Western Sahara.
Yet another mineral appears to be illegally exploited by Morocco in occupied Western Sahara: quartz.
One of China's giant state-owned fishing firms, Shanghai Fisheries General Corp, is looking to become a major presence in "Moroccan waters".
The Moroccan government has opened up for another oil block further offshore the territory it holds under occupation.
The choice of the EU to enter into a deal with Morocco for the plundering of the natural resources of occupied Western Sahara cause heavy reactions from the people of the territory.
Footage of this protest yesterday in El Aaiun was taken two hours after the European Parliament consented to the EU-Morocco fisheries protocol, which allows for EU fishing in occupied Western Sahara. The people of Western Sahara have not been asked for their approval.
Saharawi social media are boiling over of videos and images of the demonstration yesterday against the EU plans to partner with Morocco to exploit the fish resources of the occupied territory. We have gathered some of it.
EU plans to pay Morocco to fish offshore occupied Western Sahara. Saharawis are mobilising everywhere to prevent the scandal: in the refugee camps, in occupied territories and on social media.
Several Saharawis were injured by Moroccan police in a demonstration against the EU's plans to fish in occupied Western Sahara, Saturday evening. European Parliament will on Tuesday vote on an illegal fisheries agreement with Morocco, covering the occupied territory. The local people of Western Sahara are frustrated, not having given its consent as the UN and international law require.
The aspects of international law that was of concern to the European Parliament back in 2011 have not been answered to in the new proposed fisheries agreement, state 21 jurists.
In a critical letter dated 1 December 2013, the president of the Pan-African Parliament calls on the European Parliament's president, Mr. Martin Schulz, to vote against fisheries agreement with Morocco offshore the coast of the AU member state, Western Sahara.
The Saharawi Natural Resources Watch (SNRW) has called on all European Parliamentarians, to reject the new EU-Morocco fishing agreement, which will be voted in December in the European Parliament so as to “honor Europe and its peoples”.