Joanna and Kristina were on their way to El Aaiun, the capital of occupied Western Sahara, when the bus was pulled over at one of the many checkpoints on the roads to the city. They were asked to step out. According to young women, the police told them that "they are not welcome". The police then drove them to Agadir, in Morocco.
Joanna Allan and Kristina Nygaard had traveled to Western Sahara to study the concerning human rights situation of the Saharawi people and to learn more about the activities of Kosmos Energy and other companies involved in the natural resources exploitation.
"This is just another symptom of the Moroccan-enforced Western media blackout in the occupied territories. Meanwhile, companies such as Kosmos and Cairn Energy continue in their attempts to exploit the misery of the Saharawis", says Joanna Allan, Board Member of WSRW.
Kristina Nygaard, member of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, adds: "The complete lack of transparency has made me even more curious as to what is happening in the occupied territories. The deportation only increases my motivation to dig further into this particular conflict."
One of the richest coastlines in the world
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.
The CJEU Court Cases
Keeping track of the many legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara is not easy. This page offers an overview of the cases concerning the territory that have been before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Tūhana human rights advisors ignore human rights
A consultancy hired to assess phosphate imports from occupied Western Sahara into New Zealand concludes there is no problem.
MEPs push back on Commission over Western Sahara in EU–Morocco trade
MEPs from across the political spectrum sharply criticised the European Commission over its handling of EU-Morocco trade relations covering occupied Western Sahara, raising concerns over legality, transparency and an apparent disregard for Parliament’s role.