The group was first formed in 2004 as the International Coalition for the Protection of Natural Resources in Western Sahara, with a main focus to stop Kerr-McGee and TotalFinaElf, the two oil companies which carried out seismic exploration activities in Western Sahara at the time.

The network was in short formed as a response to the entry of oil companies into the territory, and to the 2002 UN Legal Opinion which deemed such oil exploration in violation of international law.

On 5 February 2005, at a meeting in Brussels, the group formalised its mission and demands, and renamed to Western Sahara Resource Watch. Many of the activists had a background in the global East Timor and anti-Apartheid solidarity movements, and had inherited the organisational and campaign skills from those solidarity campaigns.

From 2006, WSRW worked on the EU-Morocco trade agreements as a main focus area, while at the same time campaigning to stop the oil and phosphate companies involved in the illegal plunder of the territory.

The association today has an international board of seven, and a secretary based in Belgium.

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