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Despite the protests from Saharawis, Morocco has to this day continued its illegal oil programme, through the Moroccan state owned oil company Office national des hydrocarbures et des mines, ONHYM. Seven oil and gas licences have so far been awarded in Western Sahara. The names of the blocks depicted on the map below use ONHYM's spelling. Scroll further down for more information about each block and its operators.

Published 29 December 2016
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The US oil company Kosmos Energy, operating offshore occupied Western Sahara, is requested by an OECD national contact point to "refrain from positioning interpretations as facts". The company refuses to remove lies about a civil society association from its website and refuse to answer questions from WSRW.
Published 25 December 2016
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International investors have shied away from funding Morocco's dirty 'green' energy in occupied Western Sahara. But a Moroccan subsidiary of the French-UK firm Vigeo Eiris has stepped in to certify the bonds which will secure the necessary financing.
Published 23 December 2016
See statement and press conference held today in Brussels.
Published 22 December 2016
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The Court of Justice's decision to clearly exclude Western Sahara from EU-Morocco trade deals are met with celebrations among Saharawis. See images and videos coming in from refugee camps.

Published 21 December 2016
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The highest Court of the European Union this morning found that EU's trade agreement with Morocco cannot be implemented in Western Sahara.

Published 21 December 2016

Moroccan police today barred Saharawis from attending a "public consultation" organised by ACWA Power, contracted to construct the first solar plants in occupied Western Sahara.

Published 30 November 2016

The Moroccan government has contracted a group of companies to construct three solar plants – two of which will be located in occupied Western Sahara. But who are they?

Published 29 November 2016
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Germany, France, Spain and Portugal have signed a roadmap agreement with Morocco to work towards renewable electricity trade between Morocco and the EU.
Published 28 November 2016
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Three Saharawis have submitted a complaint against police brutality following their protest against companies that import phosphate rock from their occupied homeland.

Published 24 November 2016
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For the second year in a row, the Moroccan government has spent most of the EU's fish sector support on the development of the fishing industry in occupied Western Sahara. And the EU was fully aware of it.
Published 23 November 2016
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As COP22 closes shop in Marrakech, a group of 51 MEPs has asked the European Commission to do all necessary to prevent the Union from becoming involved in Morocco's renewable energy plans in occupied Western Sahara.
Published 18 November 2016
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From this winter on, Swiss supermarkets will probably, for the first time, no longer sell tomatoes from occupied Western Sahara.

Published 18 November 2016
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Morocco has selected Saudi company ACWA Power to develop 100 MW of solar power in occupied Western Sahara. The deal was inked at the UN's Climate Conference, COP22.

Published 16 November 2016
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The oil block named "Tarfaya Onshore", overlapping the border between Morocco and the occupied territory of Western Sahara, in still unresolved, a newly published oil map reveals.

Published 15 November 2016
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It appears that the Moroccan government has shortlisted three Saudi companies to do develop the first phases of a large and highly problematic solar energy programme in occupied Western Sahara.

Published 15 November 2016
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See the accreditation document of the Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament here.

Published 10 November 2016

A spokesman for UNFCCC told media that it has requested answer from the organisers of COP22 on why they kicked out the vice-president of the PanAfrican-Parliament.

Published 09 November 2016
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The vice-president of the Panafrican Parliament, Suelma Beirouk, was to attend COP22, but is now being held by Moroccan police. Morocco has occupied her homeland Western Sahara - and illegally built windmills on it.

Published 07 November 2016
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Morocco's minister of foreign affairs - as expected - today propagated about his country's occupation of Western Sahara during the opening statement of COP22.

Published 07 November 2016
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The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General today said that the erroneous maps depicting Western Sahara as part of Morocco on the COP22.ma website had been raised with the UN climate organisation UNFCCC. Meanwhile, COP22's organisers keep propagating the Moroccan occupation.
Published 07 November 2016

On the evening of 6 November 2016, the day before the opening of the climate talks in Marrakech, the official website COP22.ma is relaunched. False map is gone.

Published 06 November 2016
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Today, refugees from Western Sahara organised a demonstration against the energy companies Siemens and Enel. The two companies refuse to follow UN demands of seeking Saharawi consent as they are building windmills for Morocco on their occupied homeland.

Published 06 November 2016
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Morocco - whose king has personally invested in energy projects in Western Sahara - is now also pushing Western Sahara propaganda through the official Twitter account of COP22.

Published 05 November 2016
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A UN expert human rights committee looking into how Morocco is handling civil and political rights, today expressed deep concerns of the management of the natural resources in Western Sahara, the stalemate in the process of self-determination for the Saharawis, and torture against Saharawis.
Published 04 November 2016
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Nareva, the wind company of the King of Morocco, fails to answer questions on human rights by the international Business and Human Rights Center, in a study published yesterday.

Published 04 November 2016
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There is little renewable in the operations of the Siemens run wind park in occupied Western Sahara. See the mills that supply the Moroccan illegal mining here, in partnership with the Moroccan king.

Published 03 November 2016
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The ex-UN Legal Counsel, who in 2002 wrote an important opinion for the UN Security Council on resources in Western Sahara, says that Siemens are on thin ice when building wind parks in Western Sahara.
Published 02 November 2016
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At COP22, beware of what you read about Morocco’s renewable energy efforts. An increasing part of the projects take place in the occupied territory of Western Sahara and is used for mineral plunder, new WSRW report documents.

Published 02 November 2016
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Maps in a Moroccan propaganda exposition about energy infrastructure were this week removed from the European Parliament.

Published 21 October 2016
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Lithuanian fertilizer producer Lifosa has taken in another shipment of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara, just months after having gone on record saying they would not do so again.

Published 10 October 2016
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Yesterday, Saharawis gathered to protest Siemens, which is developing the energy infrastructure in Western Sahara for the Moroccan government.

Published 28 September 2016
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San Leon Energy's controversial oil programme in occupied Western Sahara might continue with more drilling, according to company.
Published 22 September 2016
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The Advocate General to the Court of Justice of the EU delivered a lengthy 70 page opinion on the Polisario-EU court case. WSRW asked Polisario's lawyer to clarify some aspects of the text.

Published 20 September 2016
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The EU has fixed a map that displayed Western Sahara as part of Morocco - and has postponed further sanitary controls in the Sahrawi occupied territory.

Published 20 September 2016
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The tanker Key Bay yesterday arrived Fécamp. French customs refuse to comment. We have the images.

Published 17 September 2016
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The cargo on board the vessel "Key Bay", which arrives Normandy today, will allegedly not be tariffed, as France claims EU agreement with Morocco is in force.

Published 15 September 2016
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Just as the Advocate General of the European Court clarifies that EU-Morocco trade cannot include Western Sahara goods, a massive cargo of fish oil is set to arrive in Normandy. "Piracy", says the European Parliament's rapporteur on the EU-Morocco trade deal.

Published 13 September 2016
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"Neither the EU-Morocco Association Agreement nor the EU-Morocco Agreement on the liberalisation of trade in agricultural and fishery products apply to Western Sahara", says the EU Court's Advocate General in his Opinion today.

Published 13 September 2016
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A chemical tanker is about to arrive France with fish oil from occupied Western Sahara. The Court of Justice of the EU last year concluded Western Sahara goods are not part of the trade agreement with Morocco.

Published 10 September 2016
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Two dozen Saharawi activists have been jailed for 6 years after demanding socio-economic rights. Join Amnesty's campaign demanding their release.
Published 01 September 2016
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All workers of a Polish state owned company in occupied Western Sahara have just been pulled out from the territory 'because of political reasons'.

Published 25 August 2016
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The San Leon Energy/PetroMaroc study at the Zag block in occupied Western Sahara is delayed and the partners are penalized by Moroccan authorities. PetroMaroc's future is hanging by a thread.
Published 18 August 2016

The Canadian company undertook a airborne study of occupied Western Sahara on behalf of the occupying power.

Published 31 July 2016

The Canadian company Sander Geophysics has been deeply involved in controversial airborne seismic studies in occupied Western Sahara.

Published 31 July 2016
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Kosmos and Cairn have renewed their licence - but did San Leon Energy abandon one of its licences? A new map from ONHYM suggests changes to the highly controversial oil exploration in the occupied territory.

Published 31 July 2016
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Kosmos gives geopolitical arguments to operate in occupied Western Sahara, while Cairn Energy refuses to answer why it operates in what they call "Morocco". WSRW has sought clarifications from the duo.
Published 18 July 2016
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Based on assessments of satelite images, WSRW has calculated how the plantations in occupied Western Sahara developed from 2003 until today.

Published 18 July 2016
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Western Sahara Resource Watch has requested further clarifications from the Canadian company Agrium, which is importing phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.
Published 11 July 2016
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Norway's sovereign wealth fund has today announced it has excluded Kosmos Energy and Cairn Energy from its portfolios because of their oil search in Western Sahara. Approx. 54 million dollars of shares were sold.
Published 28 June 2016
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WSRW lauches today a report on the Polish oil company PGNiG, and demands it to abandon its project. WSRW asks its owners to intervene.

Published 28 June 2016
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In recent months, several investment firms have relinquished their interests in companies that are involved in the natural resource exploitation of occupied Western Sahara. Here are 21 of them.
Published 27 June 2016
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A Moroccan umbrella association that claims the EU Court of Justice has never suspended the Western Sahara trade, is now to intervene in the EU Court to support the annulment of the suspension (which the association never believed occurred in the first place). Confused? We are too.
Published 24 June 2016
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Cairn Energy consistently includes occupied Western Sahara as part of Morocco.

Published 23 June 2016
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When over 100 of the locally recruited staff stopped working, the Polish oil hunt in occupied Western Sahara had to temporarily close.
Published 22 June 2016
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The EU Court has now officially confirmed that five EU Member States will intervene in favour of Morocco in the proceedings to reverse the Court’s decision to halt imports from occupied Western Sahara through a trade deal with Morocco.

Published 22 June 2016
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"The contract was not extended in December 2015", company writes on website. It has also confirmed that it has "no plans" to return to the territory, which lies in the part of Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation.
Published 21 June 2016
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The day after Danish parliament urged all companies to stay away from occupied Western Sahara, a Danish vessel arrived Canada with phosphates rock taken from the territory.

Published 19 June 2016
The Russian and Moroccan governments on 15 March 2016 announced the renewing of their fisheries agreement, allowing Russian trawlers fish in occupied Western Sahara. WSRW has translated the agreement from Russian to English.
Published 13 June 2016
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A handful of EU Member States will intervene in the European Court proceedings in favour of Morocco, asking the Court to reverse its decision to cancel the EU-Morocco trade deal in occupied Western Sahara.
Published 09 June 2016
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The Polish seismic services company Geofizyka Kraków ignored warnings and started seismic studies for oil exploration in occupied territory. 

Published 09 June 2016

Is it appropriate for the European Commission to change an agreement that is under judicial review?

Published 08 June 2016
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It rarely happens that vessels transport phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara to India. However, an 8 million dollar consignment is at present being offloaded in port of Paradip.
Published 03 June 2016
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Only three weeks after nearly a third of its shareholders had requested a human rights review of its imports from occupied Western Sahara, the Canadian fertilizer firm PotashCorp is expecting a giant shipment of phosphate rock from the occupied territory.
Published 03 June 2016
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Thursday the Danish parliament unanimously passed a motion on Western Sahara that urges Danish companies and the Danish public sector not to trade with Africa’s last colony.
Published 02 June 2016

Yet again, a fishing vessel managed by a Moroccan ex-general is dumping tonnes of fish in occupied Western Sahara. New video reveals the environmental mismanagement.

Published 07 May 2016
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Two institutional shareholders of PotashCorp are presenting a proposal before next week's annual meeting of the company. PotashCorp is the world's largest importer of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.
Published 05 May 2016
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After consultation with Morocco, the document that Ban Ki-Moon was drafting has been stripped of all references to UN reports highlighting Saharawi marginalisation.
Published 28 April 2016
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The Netherlands, which is against the inclusion of Western Sahara products in EU-Moroccan trade, seems unable to respect the decision from the Court of Justice from December 2015.

Published 28 April 2016
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On 10 December 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the EU-Morocco agricultural agreement in so far as it applies to Western Sahara. The entire text of the judgment is now also available in English.
Published 19 April 2016
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Morocco is spending most of the funding it receives as part of the EU-Morocco fish deal building up infrastructure in occupied Western Sahara. And the European Commission is fully aware of this.

Published 19 April 2016
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All four members states of the EFTA free trade association - Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein - conclude in the same way as the Court of Justice of the European Union. Goods from Western Sahara cannot be included in free trade agreements with Morocco.

Published 19 April 2016

On 10 December 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the EU-Morocco agricultural agreement in so far as it applies to Western Sahara. The entire text of the judgment is now also available in English on the website of the Court.

Published 18 April 2016
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One of the leaders of the protest movement of unemployed Saharawis, who for months have been targeting their campaigns against Morocco's state owned phosphate company OCP, has died after allegedly being tortured by the Moroccan police.

Published 18 April 2016
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Scotland's Cairn Energy states that its joint venture with American firm Kosmos Energy has dropped the oil exploration licence in occupied Western Sahara, but ... that it is now reapplying for part of the very same area.

Published 18 April 2016
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Dozens of Saharawis demonstrated in Smara, occupied Western Sahara, against marginalisation in their wealthy homeland. Several are said to be injured.

Published 17 April 2016
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Are three Danish municipalities and a Danish importer helping to prop up Africa’s last colonizing power in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, by buying conflict salt in violation of international law? The Danish NGO Afrika Kontakt investigates the matter.
Published 11 April 2016
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The Policy Department of the European Parliament has published a report on the need for a coherent EU policy with regard to the three occupations of Western Sahara, Palestine and Crimea. In all three cases, plunder is illegal, the report states.
Published 11 April 2016
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Two Canadian companies, Agrium and PotashCorp, were behind two thirds of all imports of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara last year. WSRW today launched its annual report of the controversial trade in Western Sahara's white gold.

Published 08 April 2016
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The US company FMC Corp is said to have sold its 33,3 percent ownership in the Venezuelan company Tripoliven which imports phosphates from Western Sahara.
Published 07 April 2016
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The Official Journal of the European Union has published the appeal brought by the EU Council against the Court of Justice of the EU’s decision to annul the EU-Morocco agricultural agreement insofar as it applies in Western Sahara.

Published 02 April 2016
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Western Sahara Resource Watch took part in a hearing on human rights in Western Sahara before the US Congress this week.
Published 26 March 2016
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The Norwegian insurance company Storebrand has blacklisted both phosphate and oil companies involved in occupied Western Sahara. Among them are the French company Total, which are now back in from the cold after they withdrew from the territory.
Published 25 March 2016
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Several EU Member States have issued statements indicating their support to Council's decision to appeal the European Court’s decision to annul the EU’s agricultural agreement with Morocco. But why is that, really?

Published 17 March 2016
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Yesterday, upon the visit of the UN Secretary-General to the Saharawi refugee camps, the Western Sahara government deposited the exact claims of its maritime zones.
Published 06 March 2016
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Today, the Norwegian government pension fund excluded San Leon Energy Plc from its investment portfolios.

Published 04 March 2016
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One of the biggest purchasers of Western Sahara phosphates during the years of occupation, the Lithuanian fertilizer producer Lifosa, has confirmed to WSRW that it will halt all further imports from the territory.

Published 25 February 2016
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Tomorrow, a group of Saharawi political prisoners will commence hunger strikes to make the Moroccan government respond to their request for appeal. Some are serving life sentences for their participation in the 2010 mass-protest against Morocco's marginalisation of the people of the Western Sahara territory.
Published 23 February 2016
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In December 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union in so far as it was applied in Western Sahara. The Council of the European Union has now formally appealed that decision. The reasons for the appeal are still not public.
 

Published 23 February 2016
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WSRW has asked Morocco’s state-owned phosphate company to share the legal opinions that supposedly prove its activities in occupied Western Sahara are lawful with the legitimate owners of the territory’s phosphate reserves; the Saharawi people.

Published 22 February 2016
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WSRW’s repeated questions on the organisation’s structure or financial backers for the contested event on occupied land remain unanswered.

Published 19 February 2016
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"A hostile act likely to perpetuate the conflict and colonialism in Western Sahara". The Peace and Security Council of the African Union reiterates its position on the illegal exploitaiton of Western Sahara's natural resources.

Published 18 February 2016
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The municipality of Gladsaxe, Denmark, has terminated a supply contract for de-icing salt due to its connections to Western Sahara.

Published 17 February 2016
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"Coordination of Unemployed Saharawi demand benefits from the territory’s natural resources. Our resources can provide us with jobs", banners on the streets of El Aaiun read during yesterday's protests.
 

Published 15 February 2016
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Coop, one of Switzerland's largest grocery chains, has announced it will cease to provide tomatoes from Western Sahara from 2017 onwards.

Published 10 February 2016