In December 2015, the US United Methodist Church announced it had divested from 39 companies. Five of those are involved in occupied Western Sahara.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has confirmed that it will not provide financial support to projects located in occupied Western Sahara.
Here's what happens to peaceful demonstrations demanding basic rights to work and a decent living in Western Sahara. As protests spread from El Aaiun to other towns, the Moroccan police responded with the usual ferocity.
As protests against Morocco's denial of the Saharawis' social and economic human rights have become daily news in occupied Western Sahara, eye-witnesses report a police siege targeting the hunger striking Saharawi graduates.
An American and a Canadian citizen were today kicked out of occupied Western Sahara. The two wanted to interview Saharawis regarding the US-Canadian exploitation of natural resources in the territory.
A New Year's gift of an estimated US $3,7 million. That's what Australia's Incitec Pivot paid the Moroccan government for its first 2016 shipment of phosphate rock sourced in occupied Western Sahara.
A heated start of the New Year in occupied Western Sahara, as unemployed Saharawi graduates step up their protest against Morocco's discriminatory employment practices by starting a hunger strike.
The French multinational oil company has announced that it is no longer pursuing oil search offshore Western Sahara. "More good news for the Saharawi people. We urge the remaining oil companies to follow suit", stated WSRW.
Danish-German Siemens Wind Power and Italian Enel Green Power have won the tender to construct five wind farms in Morocco. Only, two of planned farms are located outside of Morocco, and inside occupied Western Sahara. WSRW had warned them from taking part in the tender.
The European Union has appealed the judgement from the EU Court of Justice.
Several Saharawis were allegedly injured in a demonstration in El Aaiun yesterday, in which youth demanded employment opportunities on their own land. Among them a 34 year old law graduate.
The decision to annul the trade agreement between the EU and Morocco was this week-end welcomed by the AU. "An important step in the global efforts aimed at ensuring that the natural resources of Western Sahara, as non-self-governing territory, are protected for the benefit of its own people", stated the AU.
The EU-Moroccan agreement that was annulled by the Court of Justice of the EU yesterday was highly controversial even at the time when it was approved in 2012. Here is the story behind that approval.
The European Court of Justice has this morning ordered the annulment of a trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union since it includes the territory of Western Sahara. "A landmark decision in the history of the occupation of Western Sahara", states WSRW. Press conference in Brussels, Friday.
Former UN officials and Danish civil society strongly critical to the plans of Vestas to bid for controversial energy projects in occupied Western Sahara.
At the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Morocco’s invasion into Western Sahara, the Moroccan king delivered a speech that leaves no doubt about his colonial intentions. Major lucrative projects are planned, and those who oppose them “will have to assume the responsibilities for their decisions”.
WSRW has received images of fish being dumped in the desert near the town of Dakhla to hide over-fishing. The pictures were taken two days ago.
WSRW has received footage of Saharawis protesting in front of digging machines, supposedly owned by the Moroccan state owned phosphate company OCP. The Saharawis claim that Morocco is confiscating their land to allow more foreign investments in the occupied territory.
In refering the case on the questionable legality of UK imports from Western Saharan products to the European Court of Justice, the UK Judge stated that "there is an arguable case of a manifest error by the [European] Commission in understanding and applying international law relevant to these agreements.”
... and finds the ongoing exploration and exploitation of the territory's resources in violation of international law.
A UN Treaty Body has, for the first time, issued a set of strong recommendations pertaining to Western Sahara while reviewing Morocco's compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
LATEST (16.10.2015): Morocco rejects UN recommendations.
Massive numbers of Saharawi refugees gathered last weekend to send a clear message to Irish oil company San Leon Energy which is looking for oil in their occupied homeland: "San Leon: go home". Find high resolution footage of the protest, free of charge.
The journal Global Change, Peace & Security last week published a series of articles on natural resources in Western Sahara.
WSRW has received footage of the drilling operation to take place in the territory under Moroccan occupation.
Amid Saharawi protests, San Leon Energy has begun to drill an onshore well in occupied Western Sahara on 21 August.
Saharawis in the occupied parts of Western Sahara continue to speak out against Irish/UK company San Leon Energy's plans to drill for oil in their homeland. "Stop supporting brutal occupation of Western Sahara", they say.
These videos of Saharawis denouncing the Irish/UK oil company's plans on the land they inhabit were shot last week. The persons live in occupied Western Sahara, exactly on the block where San Leon's drilling will take place in August, in violation of international law.
The small UK company Xplorer PLC is looking for more capital to buy into the highly controversial Boujdour Offshore Shallow permit in occupied Western Sahara.
Irish company is to drill for occupying power Morocco. Saharawi refugees who were forcibly displaced following the occupation, protest their plans.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
