The UK/Irish company San Leon is planning to drill in Western Sahara in a few weeks from now, even though UN says further exploration is illegal. WSRW condemns the plans.
Read also: Western Sahara is part of Morocco, San Leon states before drilling
Several seismic survey companies have deeply regretted their involvement in the occupied Western Sahara over the last decade. Now, Morocco is trying to partner with yet another one - this time onshore. WSRW warns industry to not fall into the trap.
German powerhouse MAN Diesel & Turbo has been contracted by the Moroccan government to extend the diesel generators in El Aaiun, occupied Western Sahara.
A Russian vessel that has been fishing illegally in occupied Western Sahara, sank a forthnight ago. The vessel is still leaking fuel oil in the area between the Canary Islands and Western Sahara.
The Norwegian insurance company Storebrand pushed Jinhui to stop transporting phosphates from occupied Western Sahara in 2008.
"No oil drilling should take place in the territory until the Saharawis have had the chance to exercise their right to self-determination and have freely and fairly decided the political status of their homeland", the appeal to the Security Council writes. Read the full letter, and list of signatures, here.
One of the biggest shipping companies in Norway calls the arrival of a vessel to occupied Western Sahara "an unfortunate mistake", and guarantees to media it will never happen again.
All Swedish government funds have now divested from Canadian company Agrium Inc, due to its phosphate imports from occupied Western Sahara. According to the fund's Ethical Council, Agrium cannot prove that the phosphate exploitation is done in accordance with the wishes and the interests of the Saharawi people.
«We admit having done a mistake. It feels very uncomfortable having contributed in supporting an occupation power», seismic company SeaBird stated today. The company completed an assignment for Glencore and New Age in occupied Western Sahara in December.
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union this week asked the UN Security Council to intervene in stopping the plunder of Western Sahara's natural resources. AU sends a warning message to companies taking part in the plunder.
The New Zealand Fertiliser Association, representing the controversial importing companies in New Zealand is quoted by national TV that they are "aware of what's happening in Western Sahara but that's no reason not to use phosphate rock from the area".
The WSRW report A Platform for Conflict published in October 2014 left it unclear which company - of New Age and Glencore - was the operator of the Foum Ognit block. The answer is New Age.
Saharawi refugees yesterday protested against Swiss firm Glencore Plc, looking for oil in their occupied Western Sahara. See photos and videos of the protest here.
WSRW launches today its overview report containing all clients that have last year purchased phosphate rock from Western Sahara. The report details all volumes, values and shipments relating to Morocco’s exports from the occupied territory during 2014.
Any further oil exploration in Western Sahara is illegal unless the Saharawis want it themselves, according to the UN. The companies involved do not care.
An event planned by the secreteve Crans Montana Forum, condemned by the African Union, is about to take place in occupied Western Sahara. The organiser fails to answer questions from WSRW regarding their organisation, such as who is on the board and who is financing the event.
In celebration of International Women's Day, yesterday 8 March 2014, the women of the Saharawi refugee camps held a protest against foreign companies that are complicit in Morocco's plunder of their occupied homeland: Western Sahara.
“OCP Maroc” tried to block a Saharawi student’s youtube videos questioning the legality of Morocco’s exploitation of occupied Western Sahara’s phosphate mine. And to date, the firm has refused to answer her many emails asking them why they tried to do that.
No oil exploration can take place in Western Sahara unless people consent to it. Today Kosmos announced will to continue searching in Western Sahara despite condemnations from the people of the territory See Saharawis mobilise.
Former UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell urges in an article yesterday the EU to revise its Fisheries Partnership Agreement due to the Moroccan King's recent statement on Western Sahara. He also states that the oil exploration is in violation of the legal opinion he wrote for the UN Security Council.
The African Union has issued a strong declaration condemning the plans of the Swiss organisation Crans Montana to hold their Forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara, "as it is a grave violation of the International Law". Read the full Declaration here.
On 19 December 2014 , the American oil company Kosmos Energy began to drill for oil in occupied Western Sahara, through an illegal deal with the occupying regime, Morocco. "The company is adding fuel to the fire", stated WSRW.
Saharawis and Norwegians gathered Thursday night in front of the offices of SeaBird in Oslo to protest against the company's oil exploration in occupied Western Sahara on behalf of Glencore and the Moroccan government.
A Norwegian state owned engineering company earlier this year chose to reject a deal for salt from Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara because they found that it would be in violation of their human rights standards.
The drillship Atwood Achiever - which is to undertake drilling in waters of occupied Western Sahara - is no longer in Las Palmas and has vanished into thin air.
The drillship 'Atwood Achiever' has today entered the port of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. There it will do its final adjustments before starting the drilling in occupied Western Sahara.
The oil platform ‘Atwood Achiever' late last night entered the waters of occupied Western Sahara. “Kosmos Energy is to undertake the first drilling in Western Sahara ever. It is hard to imagine a more brutally unethical oil drilling, anywhere in the world”, WSRW states.
A delegation from the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights was 10 December expelled from occupied Western Sahara by Moroccan police. The group entered the territory to discuss the Glencore-SeaBird seismic studies with local human rights activists.
The vessel "Harrier Explorer" is currently shooting 2D images of the seabed in the El Aaiun-Tarfaya basis offshore occupied Western Sahara.
The so-called "Boujdour onshore" oil block - which previously was owned by ONHYM itself, has now been renamed and offered to the industry.
See the vessel Frederikke Selmer arriving New Zealand with phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
A document leaked by the Moroccan whistle-blower twitter account demonstrates how Morocco uses the Western Saharan natural resources to embroil other countries into its own illegal occupation of Western Sahara. The case at hand: Russia.
A Luxembourg government fund has excluded six companies from its portfolios due to "association to illegal exploitation of natural resources (Western Sahara)".
A group of women this week protested the drilling plans of Kosmos Energy in occupied Western Sahara. Their leader is serving lifetime in Moroccan jail for such protest.
The oil plattform 'Atwood Achiever' could arrive occupied Western Sahara Friday 15 November. There it will do the first drilling in occupied territory, ever.
San Leon in September purchased PetroMaroc's ownership in the so-called Tarfaya oil block, partially located in occupied Western Sahara.
A demonstration against the Scottish company Cairn Energy took place yesterday in front of its offices in Stavanger, Norway.
The 21 Saharawi political prisoners that are still imprisoned on the back of the Gdeim Izik mass protest camp, have today appealed to the church communities in Texas to denounce Kosmos Energy's plans in occupied Western Sahara. Read their full letter here.
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The US oil company Kosmos Energy and the Scottish company Cairn Energy will drill for oil offshore Western Sahara. It is clearly in violation of international law, according to the UN - and it destroys the UN peace efforts. Here is what you need to know.
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