Some companies suggest they are politically neutral when setting up offices or building infrastructure in occupied Western Sahara together with Moroccan partners. 

The German insurance giant Allianz could apparently not even be bothered to that type of lip service. 

Since its launch in Morocco six years ago, Allianz has not tried to sugar coat its presence in the territory. It furthermore aligns itself with the Moroccan position on the conflict. In a number of posts, it strongly defends the Moroccan occupation.  

This position goes against the position of the UN, the African Union, six rulings in the EU Court of Justice, the 1975 opinion of the International Court of Justice, and the African Court of Human and Peoples' Rights. 

On LinkedIn and Instagram, 14 August 2023, Allianz Maroc stated “On this emotional day, we celebrate the anniversary of the recovery of Oued Eddahab. Years ago, our country reasserted its sovereignty over this land. A historic event that still resonates as a declaration of our attachment to our national identity. #Maroc” [download LinkedIn post, download Instagram post].

The invasion of the area which Morocco refers to as Oued Eddahab took place in 1979, as Morocco illegally invaded a part of Western Sahara that Mauritania had controlled up to that point. The UN General Assembly in its resolution 34/37 "Deeply deplores the aggravation of the situation resoluting from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the extension of that occupation to the territory recently evacuated by Mauritania". 

What Allianz Maroc is praising, is one of the worst violations of the UN Charter since the Second World War, and has brought tremendous suffering on the Saharawi people, which is ongoing to this day.

But it doesn't stop there. 

On Facebook, 6 November 2019, the German company also hailed Morocco's initial invasion of the northern parts of the territory. «Allianz Morocco wishes the memory of a happy green march to all the Moroccan people. #Allianz  #Allianz_Morocco», the German company wrote. [or download]

The "Green March" is the Moroccan reference to its invasion of Western Sahara, which caused half the people of Western Sahara to seek refuge abroad. Many have ended up in mass graves. 

On 14 August 2018, the company stated on Facebook that "Morocco celebrates the 39th anniversary of the restoration of OuedEd-Dahab, an important stage in the history of Morocco. #Allianz #Memory of #Oued _ Eddahab." [or download].

To compare, Allianz refers to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an "invasion".

Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) wrote to Allianz on 9 September 2023, asking why it has chosen to have operations on occupied land, and whether it will remove all posts, maps and positions that are contrary to the positions of the UN and international courts.

Allianz formally launched in Morocco in 2017, by taking over the company Zurich Assurances Maroc. “We are confident that we have all the means necessary to claim a greater position in the Moroccan insurance market and will continue to grow faster and in a sustainable way,” said Dirk De Nil, Chief Executive Officer of Allianz Maroc. 

At the time of the launch, Zurich Assurances already had already been present in Dakhla in the occupied territory since May 2016 [or download]. 

The Dakhla office, a branch of the Casablanca headquartered Allianz Maroc, is still operative. Two different physical adresses are mentioned on the company's information channels - one on its website, referred to as being located on this location, and another on the company's local Facebook page, explaining the office [or download] is two blocks away. 

The German insurance company is part of a competitive race on the African market with the French insurance company AXA. The French rival is also present in occupied Western Sahara, and has not yet responded to a letter from WSRW of January 2022. 

As of September 2023, the CEO of Allianz Maroc is Mr. Abderrahim Dbich, the former Deputy CEO of AXA Maroc.

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