A firm called Teredo Morocco Ltd has got the right to explore for oil offshore Western Sahara in violation of international law. If you know the company, please send us a mail.

The rapporteur of the European Parliament's development committee agrees with the rapporteur of the fisheries committee: Parliament should not accept the one-year extension of the fish deal with Morocco. "The right way to go is not in neglecting international law, principles of environmental sustainability or sound economics", she said.

Sidahmed Lemjiyed, President of the Saharawi Committee for Protection of Natural Resourcs (CSPRON) was detained 25 December 2010 in El Aaiún. Since then, he has been imprisoned without being accused of a crime, and without having been before a court. According to an international group that visited Morocco this week, his health is deteriorating.

Sydney barrister is calling on three major Australian companies to stop their imports from occupied Western Sahara, saying the firms might be liable to future compensation claims from the people of the territory. ABC, 10 October 2011.

Read also: Australian Lawyer questions legality of phosphate imports

The Australian Institute of International Affairs hosted an event in Melbourne on Wednesday 5th October on the issue of Western Sahara under the title: Western Sahara and its Phosphate Rock: is Australia in a Hard Place?

The rapporteur of the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament recommends that the EU drops its fisheries agreement with Morocco. “A waste of taxpayers' money, ecologically and environmentally unsustainable and no significant macro-economic effect”, he stated. 

"I have no problem in stating, in retrospect, that it might have been a bad idea to take this assignment”, CEO of seismic services firm Spectrum ASA told media today. Now, Irish oil minor San Leon has to find another subcontractor to process the geological data they collect from the occupied territory in violation of international law.

While the European Union wouldn’t dream of importing Palestinian agricultural and fisheries products under the Free Trade Agreement with Israel, it appears to have far less problems with importing similar products from Western Sahara under the Free Trade Agreement with Morocco.

Polish business newspaper erroneously placed Western Sahara within Morocco. Polish Africa group tries to rectify the error.

The Saharawis continue denouncing the plunder of their country. A few dozen dozens of Saharawis now gathered in front of the offices of the Moroccan human rights commission in occupied territory. 

 

San Leon’s seismic surveys will be conducted in the northern parts of occupied Western Sahara from July 2011, in violation of international law. Placements from investor George Soros might have been crucial.

Morocco is continuing its oil programme on the Boujdour onshore block. These cars were filmed as they did geological surveys in the occupied territories.

The Moroccan state owned oil company ONHYM has established new oil blocks in Western Sahara. The illegal programme could double the acreage in the occupied territory.

Email to Longreach Oil and Gas Ltd, sent 8 July 2011.

Today, the European Parliament’s agricultural committee issued its opinion that Parliament should refuse its consent to the conclusion of the agricultural agreement with Morocco. “The issue of the Western Sahara territories, with regard to which Parliament\'s legal services have been asked for an opinion, calls for careful assessment”, states the Committee’s report.

As the Moroccan authorities prohibit Saharawi from leaving the towns in order to prevent them from building protest camps in the desert, these five protesters have started a peaceful sit-in in front of their home on 7 July 2011. They call for the right to benefit from their homeland's abundant natural resources.

Three fishermen associations registered in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara, say they've not seen any benefits stemming from investments and projects at the local harbour. Ironically, their statement comes only a few days after the EU Member States' split vote approval of the much debated one-year extension of the EU Morocco fish pact – claiming the investments under the agreement are beneficial to the local population.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs underlines that the wishes of the Sahrawis must be taken into account upon undertaking business in the territory of Western Sahara.

Another demonstration in the capital of occupied Western Sahara took place yesterday. Moroccan police prevented people from joining the protesters.

2 Swedish students insist that the EU ambassador to Rabat had no reason to claim that "independent institutions" have supported the EU fisheries in Western Sahara, as he claimed in a press conference last year. Their correspondence with the EU delegation to Morocco reveals that the ambassador was only refering to the EU itself.

While the UN hosted peace talks between Morocco and Polisario in the US last week, a large load of illegally excavated Saharawi phosphates was being discharged in Louisiana. The peace talks covered the management of natural resources of occupied Western Sahara. The UN says such trade is in violation of international law, but PotashCorp defends Morocco\'s claims to the territory.

Spanish fish food company Jealsa Rianxeira receives ever more critisicm for its engagement in occupied Western Sahara.

Russian media reports today that an agreement has been signed between Moscow and Rabat for catch of 100.000 tonnes of fish offshore Morocco. Most of the fisheries, however, will not take place in Morocco.

The most heavily involved foreign firm in occupied Western Sahara, US-Canadian fertiliser company PotashCorp, has published a statement on its trade and on how it interprets the Western Sahara conflict. Read their erroneous text, and WSRW’s comments.

UPDATE - The hunger strike was ended on Saturday 18 June 2011.
Since 12 April, six Saharawi citizens in Guelmim in Southern Morocco have been on hunger strike to condemn the EU’s fisheries in occupied Western Sahara and the involvement of US phosphate importer PCS and Irish oil company San Leon in the plunder of the territory.
 

The Lithuanian firm Lifosa refused to answer the question whether they intend to terminate phosphate imports from Western Sahara, and was today kicked out of the UN Global Compact initiative on Corporate Social Responsibility.

There is no unequivocal proof that Western Sahara, let alone its people, has benefitted from the EU-Morocco fisheries partnership agreement (FPA), according to the Irish government.