News

France Libertés: Fondation Danielle Mitterrand - an NGO with special consultative status in the Human Rights Council - has submitted a written statement to the council denouncing the plundering of Western Sahara.

Published 20 March 2009
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Sahrawi refugees on the Canary Islands yesterday protested against the Norwegian oil search in occupied Western Sahara. They demanded that the project be stopped.

Published 18 March 2009
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For a few days more you will still find tomatoes from occupied Western Sahara on the vegetable counters of the Norwegian grocery store Coop. On Wednesday they stopped the controversial import. Norwatch, 11 March 2009.

Published 18 March 2009
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The Moroccan Navy was asked to support Fugro-Geoteam’s oil assignment outside occupied Western Sahara. This is shown by an internal Moroccan government document that Norwatch has obtained. Norwatch, 17 March 2009.
Published 18 March 2009

Morocco has hired key lobbyists in the US to promote its illegal phosphate sales. While selling legitimate phosphate from Morocco, their government owned phosphate company OCP also exports phosphate from occupied Western Sahara to the US. Such trade is in violation of international law.

Published 16 March 2009
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Norwegian Council for Africa: When The Norwegian Council for Africa visited occupied Western Sahara between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we photographed a freighter that later turned out to be Norwegian. The shipping company Atlantic RTI confirmed the fish transport and said they dislike that their ship has been utilised in the occupied area.

Published 03 March 2009

BASF is member of UN\'s corporate social responsibility initiative Global Compact. But to Inner City Press, the company still refuses to disclose their "expert opinion" as to why they believe their imports of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara is legal. See video from the UN.

Published 02 March 2009
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Former chairman of the Nobel Committee, and yesterday’s laureate of Student Peace Prize 2009 criticise the Norwegian-Dutch involvement in oil search in occupied Western Sahara.

Published 28 February 2009
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The Nordic Committee of Co-operating Social Democratic Youth Organisations (FNSU), consisting of organisations from all the Nordic and Baltic countries, demands renegotiation of EU-Morocco fisheries agreement to exclude occupied Western Sahara.

Published 25 February 2009
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The Irish oil company Island Oil and Gas - and their partners in San Leon - today announced their intention to upgrade their licence in occupied Western Sahara from a frontier licence to an exploration licence.

Published 25 February 2009
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"WSRW believes it is time for the Saharawi people to settle the question of how they wish to be governed through the referendum which the UN calls for. Then it will be clear to companies with whom to deal", writes WSRW in letters to the editor in the petroleum journals Upstream and Petroleum Africa.

Published 23 February 2009
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The Moroccan state electricity company ONE last year launched a tender to find a company to take on the construction of power plants in occupied Western Sahara. WSRW has got the lists of the 21 companies which are prequalified. The companies, from a dozen countries worldwide, are these days being contacted by WSRW, with an appeal to withdraw from the tender.
Published 15 February 2009
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Fertilizer producer Yara receives critisicm in Norway for its 2008 phosphate purchase from occupied Western Sahara. The company answers they hope Western Sahara "will be liberated one day, and then the inhabitants will benefit if we can receive their phosphate quickly".

Published 15 February 2009
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The students of Red Cross Nordic United World College (RCNUWC) addressed a letter to the Norwegian company, Fugro Geoteam, to withdraw their vessel “Geo Caribbean” from the occupied waters in Western Sahara. The letter was handed over by the Sahrawi student Basiri Mulay El-hasan.
Published 11 February 2009

The Ministry of Trade and Industry knew about the transaction but did not try to stop the import of phosphate from Western Sahara. Norway may have broken international law.

Published 09 February 2009
In August Yara’s plant on Herøya imported phosphate from occupied West Sahara, contrary to the advice of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yara may have paid 4,3 million euros to a Moroccan state company for phosphate stolen from its occupied neighbour.
Published 09 February 2009

The vessel Ennerdale with link to El Aaiún, 2008.

Published 09 February 2009
News coverage in Faroese newspaper Dimmalætting, 12th and 13th of January 2009.
Published 09 February 2009
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The New Zealand fertilizer producer confirms that they have a long term delivery contract with Moroccan state phosphate company OCP. The highly unethical agreement was signed in 1999.
Published 09 February 2009

Download Afroil, 20 January 2009, covering the oil industry in Western Sahara.

Published 09 February 2009