The big European energy project Desertec has announced it will not invest in occupied Western Sahara for "reputational reasons".

Every Thursday, the old Saharawi phosphate miners demand their rights from the Moroccan controlled phosphate company, OCP. They were under contracts with the Spanish, but lost their rights when Morocco illegally invaded the territory and took control of the mine.

Norwegian fish oil importer GC Rieber today announced that they have stopped all imports of fish oil from Morocco and occupied Western Sahara. After their biggest customer did not longer want to buy the controversial oil, the importer has chosen to stop further purchases from the region. Norwatch, 14 April 2010.

"It is inconceivable that MINURSO should remain the only contemporary UN peace mission lacking a mandate to monitor human rights", WSRW stated in a letter to the Security Council yesterday. WSRW asked for the UN to monitor both the human rights violations and the illegal plundering of natural resourecs in the territory.

UN has said that looking for oil in Western Sahara is illegal. But the Irish firm San Leon Energy moves steadily forwards. Drilling underway next year.

Life, the largest health store chain in Scandinavia, has decided to stop new orders of Omega 3-supplements for its brand Biomega, Swedish and Norwegian media report.

In advance of next week’s first ever EU-Morocco summit, Polisario urges the EU Commission to halt illegal fisheries offshore occupied Western Sahara.

Uruguay imported 2, or perhaps 3, shipments from occupied Western Sahara last year. The shipments were labelled as "Moroccan", and had a total value of 4,4 million dollars.

The Polish Ministry of Economy says that there is no need to “differentiate between the territory of Morocco and that of Western Sahara”. However, such a position is inconsistent with international law and resolutions of the UN General Assembly adopted over the last 40 years, said representative of Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW).

Brussels, 23 February 2010 - In a previously confidential legal opinion, the European Parliament’s Legal Service has declared fishing by European vessels in Western Sahara’s waters to be in violation of international law. Press release.

WSRW can today present the 11 page statement from the European Parliament’s Legal Service. The statement – concluding that EU fisheries in occupied Western Sahara under its current shape is in violation of international law - has been kept from the public for 7 months.

A report from the Moroccan state and mining company ONHYM from September 2009 reveals that Morocco is exploring the uranium potential in occupied Western Sahara.

Since July 2009, a legal opinion written by the European Parliament’s legal service has been held outside of public knowledge. The extraordinary text concludes that the EU fisheries in Western Sahara under its current shape must stop.

The Australian fertilizer producer Incitec Pivot imports phosphate from occupied Western Sahara in violation of international law. Australian Council of Trade Unions, and Australia Western Sahara Association protested at the company's annual general meeting.

"It is a violation of international law for the natural resources of Western Sahara to be exploited in this way. But the EU continues to buy permits from Morocco for EU fishing vessels which allows them to fish in Western Saharan waters. The people of Western Sahara have never given their permission for this to happen", stated MEP Jill Evans in a press release.

Today an international campaign was launched to make the EU withdraw its vessels from the waters offshore the occupied territory of Western Sahara. Press release, 6 November 2009.

Western Sahara human rights activist Aminatou Haidar hopes for increased attention to the EU plundering of occupied Western Sahara.

WSRW and Defense Forum Foundation repeats question to the USTDA as to what is being done to prevent US funds from being used by the Moroccan government in Western Sahara.

Arriving first week of November.

An Australian fertilizer firm has announced a phasing out of phosphate imports from occupied Western Sahara. Norwatch recently wrote that the Norwegian Government’s pension fund was part owner in the company’s mother firm, Wesfarmers. Norwatch, 23 October 2009.

As the unemployed 32 year old Abdellah El Boukzati demonstrated against the plundering of Western Sahara, Moroccan police intervened.

In this video, recorded 28 september 2009, the former Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, claims that there is currently no plunder of Western Sahara - since there is "no economic activity" taking place there. He also claims that the area used to be part of Morocco before the occupation in 1975.

The two Irish oil companies that are looking for oil in occupied Western Sahara are about to merge. The firms are undermining international law.

In a statement last week, the EU Commission again omitted a central point from the UN opinion on natural resources in Western Sahara : the Sahrawis’ wishes.

At the UN Fourth Committee on Decolonization held in New York on 6-12 October, WSRW called for the United Nations to send a Mission of Observation to Western Sahara, to monitor the natural resource exploitation from the territory.

The fertiliser producer Incitec Pivot states in Australian Farm Journal that they are fully dependent on phosphate from occupied Western Sahara.

The Norwegian Government Pension Fund has invested billions of Norwegian kroners in companies that participate in the plunder of Western Sahara. An examination carried out by Norwatch shows that Pension Fund companies are behind two-thirds of all phosphate purchases in the occupied country. Norwatch, 06 October 2009.

The Norwegian seismic services company PGS has entered in on the ownership side of the Irish oil company San Leon Energy. The funds placed by PGS will help enable increased oil exploration in occupied Western Sahara.

From 1999 till today, Moroccan authorities have massively opened for oil exploration in occupied Western Sahara.

The Turkish vessel Yasa Gulten is soon to arrive New Zealand with phosphates from occupied Western Sahara. It will be the second time in less than a year.

The news that Irish oil firms Island Oil & Gas, Longreach and San Leon have obtained a full exploration licence for an area near occupied Smara, has triggered a response from the native inhabitants of the territory. And it\'s not a welcoming one.

Both San Leon and Island Oil & Gas have announced that the Zag Reconnaissance Licence has been upgraded to a full Exploration Licence. The Zag basin is located near Smara, occupied Western Sahara.

While under peace talks, Morocco is speeding up its plans for illegal oil search in occupied Western Sahara. The provocation has led Polisario to protest Morocco's actions to the UN Security Council. Read letter dated 6 July 2009 here.

Australian agribusiness magazine Landmark in its latest issue elaborates on the world depleting phosphates deposits, and Australia's dependency on phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.

WSRW, together with Dr. Werner Ruf, professor for international relations at University of Kassel, demand that the German shipping company stops future shipments from Western Sahara.

2 vessels, one Spanish and one Cape Verdean, have been detained by the Moroccan coastguard after illegal fishing in Western Sahara.

1 July 2009, Sweden will take on the presidency of the European Council. Western Sahara Resource Watch urges in a letter today the Swedish government to raise the issue of the legality of the EU-Moroccco fisheries agreement.

Irish oil firms will explore for oil in the Smara area in complete violation of international law.

Up to 524 square kilometres of Island Oil and Gas acreage are missing in Western Sahara/Morocco.

The oil tanker Purple Gem is said to have carried a Saharawi flag upon entering the port of El Aaiun this week. Then the Moroccan police intervened.

Email sent from WSRW Florida to Mosaic Co, 12 June 2009.

Press release from the Western Sahara Campaign UK today, announces that a delegation of MP’s, High Commissioners and representatives of the exiled Western Saharan government today will go to 10 Downing Street to call on the British government to take the lead in resolving the Western Sahara conflict. 
 

In 2005, USTDA stated that it "has not and would not support any activities in Western Sahara”. On 4 June 2009, Western Sahara Resource Watch and the US based Defense Forum Foundation sent a letter to the agency asking how this policy will be followed, considering the grants which are now being given to infrastructure projects for Morocccan fisheries. WSRW points to the fact that most of the Moroccan fisheries is taking place in Western Sahara.

"During the preparatory work on the agreement, which was decided through qualified vote, Finland and certain other states, pointed to the fact than the Western Sahara territorial waters not had specifically been excluded from the agreement’s area of application. Also for years to come, Finland finds it important that international law be respected upon the exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara", stated Finland's minister of Foreign Affairs in Finnish parliament, 8 May 2009.

"Future MEPs from Europe Ecologie will work to put an end to the natural resources plundering of Western Sahara", stated the French party in a letter to WSRW. Europe Ecologie is France\'s third largest political party in front of the European Elections on June 7th.

Refugees from Western Sahara demonstrated this week against a Norwegian company which is fishing in the country’s waters. According to the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, the company is violating international law.

The Norwegian investor KLP has today announced that they have kicked out the Australian firm Incitec Pivot from its funds. The company imports phosphate rock from Western Sahara, which is occupied by Morocco. Norwatch, 2 June 2009.

Find here details on the articles published as part of the Ifremer-Total studies in Dakhla, Western Sahara.

Sahrawi refugees on the Canary Islands on 27 May demonstrated against a Norwegian fishing vessel which was docked in Las Palmas harbour.

Western Sahara Resource Watch demands Murmansk Trawl Fleet to immediate terminate fisheries in occupied Western Sahara.

Western Sahara Resource Watch demanded in a letter on 19 March 2009 to the scientific journal Tectonophysics, that research done by a PhD student at the Norwegian Geological Survey should not be published. The geological research in occupied Western Sahara is done in cooperation with Moroccan oil authorities, but without the consent of the Sahrawi people.

A research fellow attached to the Norwegian Geological Survey has been working on an oil research project in the occupied Western Sahara. Western Sahara Resource Watch requests that a scientific geological journal temporarily suspend further publication of her research data. The research institute is itself sceptical of the research project.

Sahrawi student Senia Bachir Abderahman asks Washington lawfirm Covington & Burling to tell her how they can claim phosphate plunder in occupied Western Sahara is to the benefit of the Sahrawis.

The Norwegian seismic company Fugro-Geoteam has completed its controversial exploration offshore occupied Western Sahara. Their employer’s plans to become established on the Canary Islands have aroused strong reactions. Norwatch, 15 April 2009.

The Danish organisation Afrika Kontakt demands that the Danish government do not support Morocco's occupation through the EU cooperation.

The US lawfirm Covington & Burling helps Morocco in the illegal plunder of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara. The Sahrawi student Senia Bachir Abderahman is trying to get answers from the lawfirm as to how they can defend the plunder of her homeland.

Western Sahara Resource Watch today sent letter to the members of the UN Security Council, requesting them to demand a halt of plundering of occupied Western Sahara.

On 8th April 2008, Polisario sent a letter to the Security Council protesting the plundering of Western Sahara. The letter has now been published as an official document of both the General Assembly (A/63/871) and the Security Council (S/2009/198).

Is an oil war about to erupt in the middle of the Atlantic, with the Canary Islands embroiled right in the middle of the conflict? Tenerife News, 16 April 2009.

The company Prospectiuni from Romania are specialists on geological surveys.

In January, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claimed their Exclusive Economic Zone offshore Western Sahara. Here is the SADR legislation.