Built to keep the Sahrawi from their own land, the berm that bisects Western Sahara is a potent symbol of Morocco's determination to hold on to Africa's last colony in the face of long-standing - but weak - international pressure. Ivan Broadhead reports. South China Morning Post, 11th of May, 2008.
Western Saharan activists are targeting Australia\'s reliance on their homeland\'s richest natural resource. The region and its phosphate reserves were illegally annexed by neighbouring Morocco in 1975 and activists have travelled to Australia to raise awareness about the continuing occupation. See 7:30 report on Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9 June 2008 here.
PRESS RELEASE: 29 parliamentarians from UK, Norway and New Zealand this morning sent a letter to the shipping company Gearbulk, urging the company to stop their phosphate shipments from occupied Western Sahara.
Sahrawis in Norway are asking Bergen-owned Gearbulk shipping company to stop trading with Western Sahara. They believe such trade maintains the brutal occupation.
3 stowaways -probably Moroccan- are now in police custody in Norway after arrving in port of Horten, Norway on 3rd of June. They had hidden in a vessel with fish meal from El Aaiun in occupied Western Sahara, and were discovered as the vessel discharged its cargo in Latvia.
Read also: Afrol: Western Sahara-bound fishing vessel hijacked
People from Greenpeace Wednesday afternoon prevented the fishing vessel Nordic IV to leave the harbour in Fiskebäck, Gothenburg, Sweden. Two activists have chained themselves to the vessel's anchoring poles. Gothenburg Post, 11 June 2008
Read more about Gearbulk's involvement in Western Sahara, and the vessel Simge Aksoy here. As of June 2008, the vessel can have transported phosphates from Western Sahara for more than 200,000 million US dollars.
A third international shipping company has bowed into pressure to quit its assignments in ports in occupied Western Sahara. The Hong Kong-based shipping company Jinhui Shipping thus follows Norway\'s two shipping companies Arnesen Shipbrokers and R-Bulk, which have stopped shipping out phosphates from the territory. More are expected to follow. Afrol News, 5 june 2008.
The third “Norwegian” shipping company in half a year says it will not longer visit ports in occupied Western Sahara. Jinhui Shipping, registered on Oslo Stock Exchange, says to South China Morning Post that it will not contract any more business in the country.
Last Friday, the Norwegian company R-Bulk said they will do their utmost to prevent further shipments from Western Sahara. Japan-Sahara Association has now sent a letter to the Japanese shipping company that rent their vessels.
The Norwegian shipping company R-Bulk apologizes that one of their vessels has transported phosphates from Western Sahara, and say they will do their utmost to prevent it from happening again. The company is praised for its good corporate social responsibility.
April this year, a vessel belonging to the Norwegian ship owner company R-Bulk, transported 15.000 tonnes of phosphate from occupied Western Sahara to Colombia. One of Norway's biggest trade unions, Industry and Energy, as well as the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara and Western Sahara Resource Watch today protests the shipment. The phosphate industry in the occupied country takes place in violation of international law.
This time, the vessel is Greek. Arriving Northport on May 30th 2008.
"For now, and unlike its stance on East Timor, New Zealand prefers to cut deals with the occupying power that has long been denying the right of Africa’s last colony to full self determination under the UN Charter." Read article by Scoop journalist Gordon Campbell on the New Zealand participation in the Western Sahara resource plundering.
The European Liberal Youth demands the termination of the controversial EU fisheries agreement with Morocco that lets European vessels fish in occupied Western Sahara. Read statement from the Liberal Youth's annual Lymec congress, Barcelona 1-4th May 2008.
Kamal Fadel, Front Polisario's representative to Australia and New Zealand, has been interviewed on Adelaide Radio regarding the Moroccan fishing and phosphate industry in Western Sahara.
Read also: Demands halt to Tasmanian phosphate imports
Following the revelations in New Zealand press that the fishing company Sealord is involved in marketing fish from occupied Western Sahara, the Maori Party now reacts. Sealord is half Maori owned. \"We encourage Maori shareholders to raise the issue with Sealord\'s directors and encourage them to review their investment decision accordingly\", Maori Party says.
A New Zealand company is involved in dealing fish from occupied Western Sahara. Hear story broadcasted on Radio New Zealand, May 8th 2008.
New Zealand, a country which already is a main ally to Morocco in buying the phosphates from the occupied Western Sahara, now also proves to be involved in the distribution of the territory’s fish resources.
The Norwegian insurance company, Skuld, keeps insuring ships carrying controversial cargo. After the case of the ship carrying weapons to Zimbabwe, it has now been discovered that Skuld has ensured a ship carrying phosphate from occupied Western Sahara.
"Kosmos believes it has made the right bet as to which party will prevail", a presentation about the company stated.
A Turkey owned vessel is now transporting phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
More than 300 people demonstrated in the Spanish city of Huelva, in protest of the company FMC Foret's import of phosphates from Western Sahara. Carrying banners such as "Western Sahara is not for sale", the protesters demanded an immediate stop of the imports.
The Norwegian NGO Western Sahara Resources Watch (WSRW) has written to the chief executive of the Rand Merchant Bank to ask that RMB refuse to bankroll the Irish company Island Oil & Gas which recently acquired a block in Western Sahara from Morocco's Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM). Africa Energy Intelligence, N° 46102/04/2008
"The next mouthful of food you take after you read this may have an awful aftertaste. That's not necessarily because there\'s anything wrong with your food, but because of how it gets to your plate." Opinion in The Australian Financial Review, by Polisario's Australia representative, Mr. Kamal Fadel, 25 March 2008
Press release: WSRW welcomes the next round of peace talks between Morocco and Polisario, and urges the parties to discuss the current plundering of the occupied Western Sahara.
United Arab Emirates investing in tourism in occupied Western Sahara, according to Maghreb Confidential.
Jinhui Shipping said Wednesday that it will take into consideration the analysis of Norwegian authorities regarding avoiding trade with phosphates from Western Sahara.
Western Sahara’s government in exile accuses the shipping company J. Lauritzen of contributing to theft of natural resources from the occupied parts of the country.
An international delegation of trade union representatives were this week detained in occupied Western Sahara when visiting former Saharawi phosphate workers.
See videos of the Australian mascot protesting against the phosphate trade. The camel was stopped by the police.
Swedish prosecuting authorities starts investigating own companies involved in fishing in occupied Western Sahara.
Jinhui, the Oslo Stock Exchange-registered dry bulk shipping company, will tomorrow unload its last tons of controversial phosphate in New Zealand. The phosphate originates from occupied Western Sahara and has been shipped out of the country despite advice to the contrary from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Norwatch has got photos and video footage of the unloading.
