So far, no oil and gas have been discovered in Western Sahara. Two exploration licences are today operated by foreign companies, both from Israel, both offshore.
"The contract was not extended in December 2015", company writes on website. It has also confirmed that it has "no plans" to return to the territory, which lies in the part of Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation.
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.
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.
The French oil multinational confirms having renewed for 12 months its licence offshore "the Sahara region". The company keeps following the terminology of the occupying power of Morocco - their partner.
On Sunday 17 November, dozens of Saharawis took to the streets of El Aaiun to protest against the involvement of Total, Siemens and the EU in the illegal exploitation of their occupied country's natural resources.
In its statement to the United Nations’ Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), Western Sahara Resource Watch drew attention to companies trading in phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara and Groupe Total's unethical seabed oil exploration in the adjacent waters.
In July, Total finished one year of seismic exploration offshore Western Sahara. A new video shows the vessels at Las Palmas harbour, just after their assigment had ended.
Two vessels that have been contracted by French oil company Total to search occupied Western Sahara's seabed for oil, are currently at anchor in the harbour of Las Palmas. See videos and photos here.
Chinese company BGP affirms to WSRW undertaking seabed research on behalf of French oil firm Total. This article has been updated: Seismic study to end 30 March 2013.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has received this photo of the Geo Service I, the offshore supply ship accompanying the vessel BGP Prospector that is carrying out seismic seabed research for French oil giant Total.
After a short Christmas break, the controversial French-Chinese oil exploration offshore occupied Western Sahara has resumed.
A subsidiary of China's national oil company seems these days to do seismographic studies on Total's block in occupied Western Sahara. WSRW today protested against the operations.
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.
Find here details on the articles published as part of the Ifremer-Total studies in Dakhla, Western Sahara.
Western Sahara Resource Watch demanded in a letter on 19 March 2009 to the scientific journal Tectonophysics, that research done by a PhD student at the Norwegian Geological Survey should not be published. The geological research in occupied Western Sahara is done in cooperation with Moroccan oil authorities, but without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
A research fellow attached to the Norwegian Geological Survey has been working on an oil research project in the occupied Western Sahara. Western Sahara Resource Watch requests that a scientific geological journal temporarily suspend further publication of her research data. The research institute is itself sceptical of the research project.
Download Afroil, 20 January 2009, covering the oil industry in Western Sahara.
PESA News, April/May 2003, Issue Number 63.
The French oil giant Total (formerly TotalFinaElf) has announced its withdrawal from its controversial operations offshore Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. The company claims there were no recoverable oil or gas deposits in the area.