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.
Cairn Energy consistently includes occupied Western Sahara as part of Morocco.
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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
On 19 December 2014 , the American oil company Kosmos Energy began to drill for oil in occupied Western Sahara, through an illegal deal with the occupying regime, Morocco. "The company is adding fuel to the fire", stated WSRW.
The drillship Atwood Achiever - which is to undertake drilling in waters of occupied Western Sahara - is no longer in Las Palmas and has vanished into thin air.