• To date, no other state recognises Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, which is on the United Nations list of Non Self-Governing Territories. (ipsnews.net)
  • On December 10, 2020, the Donald Trump administration in the US announced that "the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory. (atlasofwars.com)
  • Arguing that "an independent Sahrawi State is not a realistic option for resolving the conflict," the US declared that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is "the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute. (atlasofwars.com)
  • Former colonizer of the territory, Spain, which had handed over the territory of Western Sahara to the invading Moroccan forces in 1975, once again in March 2022 rescinded recognition of SADR and accepted Morocco's claim of sovereignty over the territory. (atlasofwars.com)
  • While no other country than the United States has ever recognized Morocco's unilateral annexation of Western Sahara , [2] [3] a number of countries have expressed their support for a future recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory as an autonomous part of the Kingdom . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • In order to resolve the sovereignty issue, the UN has attempted to hold a referendum through the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and is holding direct talks between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • The UN recognizes neither Moroccan [5] nor SADR sovereignty over Western Sahara. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • The government-in-exile of the Polisario Front had also signed contracts for oil exploration, but there is no practical work, due to the fact that the zones given are in the Moroccan-controlled part of the territory. (wikipedia.org)
  • Following years of armed conflict between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, the international community established the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991. (ipsnews.net)
  • Unlike Morocco, the Polisario Front did not want to allow Moroccan settlers in the Western Sahara to participate in the referendum. (ipsnews.net)
  • The judicial activism in a relatively uncharted area in this field, external relations, was analyzed through a qualitative case study of the CJEU case Polisario Front , concerning the application of a EU trade agreement to the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara. (lu.se)
  • It separates the areas occupied by Morocco on the coast-side from the inland territory that is under the control of the Polisario Front (PF), recognized by the UN General Assembly as the Sahrawi people's international representative. (atlasofwars.com)
  • The area 446550km2 excludes all disputed territories, while 710850km2 includes the Moroccan-claimed and partially-controlled parts of Western Sahara (claimed as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Polisario Front ). (explained.today)
  • Western Sahara , formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara , is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front) , which is an independence movement based in Tifariti and Bir Lehlou . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • Economy of Morocco Legal status of Western Sahara Western Saharan cuisine Western Sahara portal The World Factbook. (wikipedia.org)
  • Advocacy groups like the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) contest the legality of foreign businesses, like Kosmos, working with the Moroccan government to exploit Western Saharan resources. (ipsnews.net)
  • More controversially, Kosmos now intends to start oil exploration in an area off the Western Saharan coast, known as Cap Boujdour, in October. (ipsnews.net)
  • After calling for Western Saharan independence from Spain, Morocco took control of the territory, which it calls the Southern Provinces, in 1976 after the Spanish withdrew. (ipsnews.net)
  • Since then, however, both multinational energy firms and Western Saharan advocacy groups have construed the U.N. opinion to favour their respective stances. (ipsnews.net)
  • In 1991, a truce was negotiated with the promise on a referendum on the right to self-determination of Western Saharan inhabitants, the Sahrawi. (lu.se)
  • Sahara since 1975. (lu.se)
  • The Moroccan occupation of most of SADR's territory since 1975 has been receiving increasing Western support, despite a consensus in international law that Morocco has no legitimate territorial claims over SADR, whose right to self-determination is well-recognized. (towardfreedom.org)
  • Since the Madrid Accords of 1975, a part of Western Sahara has been administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • The US-based firm Kosmos Energy began a contract to explore offshore from Western Sahara in 2013, prompting criticism from activist groups such as Western Sahara Resource Watch. (wikipedia.org)
  • After Total withdrew from further work in the territory, the remaining oil companies on stock exchange active in Western Sahara are Kosmos Energy, Cairn Energy, Glencore PLC and San Leon Energy. (wsrw.org)
  • The Sahrawi have little access to these resources, as many of the workers are Moroccan citizens who immigrated to Western Sahara to work in the industries. (iijd.org)
  • The Sahrawi have no control over the natural resources and the commerce from those resources in the Moroccan occupied territory. (iijd.org)
  • The Moroccan government controls the entirety of the coastline, preventing many Sahrawi from fishing, a lucrative industry. (iijd.org)
  • Moroccan controlled mines employ predominantly Moroccan employees, take phosphorus belonging to the Sahrawi and sell it to foreign companies under the Moroccan name. (iijd.org)
  • The report noted that in the Moroccan territory, "the Sahrawi people are not only denied their right to self-determination, but equally are severely restricted from exercising a series of other rights. (iijd.org)
  • Fighting between the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army and Moroccan occupying forces has intensified in the last days of 2022. (atlasofwars.com)
  • Morocco, Western Sahara - M oroccan forces illegally occupying the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) have come under repeated bombardment by the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army (SPLA) . (atlasofwars.com)
  • The ceasefire broke down after Moroccan troops crossed the berm to forcibly remove unarmed and peaceful Sahrawi protesters who were blocking an illegal Moroccan road to Mauritania through their territory. (atlasofwars.com)
  • The ceasefire had been secured in August 1991 after the UN Security Council (UNSC) established the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) with the promise of fulfilling the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. (atlasofwars.com)
  • Also known as Western Sahara, SADR is a founding member of the African Union (AU) and the continent's last colony, fighting a war for liberation from Morocco. (towardfreedom.org)
  • This was a setback to Morocco, which had declared a diplomatic victory over SADR prematurely, before any official announcement by the Kenyan government. (towardfreedom.org)
  • The UN, the AU, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the International Court of Justice all maintain that Morocco has no legitimate territorial claims over SADR. (towardfreedom.org)
  • Moroccan forces currently occupy over 80% of SADR, also known as Western Sahara, which remains classified by the UN as among the last countries still awaiting decolonization. (atlasofwars.com)
  • The Moroccan troops crossed into the UN-patrolled buffer zone of Guergarat across the southeastern tip of occupied SADR. (atlasofwars.com)
  • In 2002, the petroleum companies TotalEnergies and Kerr-McGee were awarded contracts to explore for oil in the region. (wikipedia.org)
  • In May 2006, Kerr-McGee decided to not renew the contract signed with the Moroccan Authorities. (wikipedia.org)
  • Storebrand was at the time one of the major shareholders of the Norwegian seismic survey company TGS-Nopec which mapped the seafloor of Western Sahara for Total and Kerr-McGee. (wsrw.org)
  • In 2002, Morocco awarded contracts for oil exploration in the Western Sahara to a U.S.-based company, Kerr McGee, and the French-based Total S.A. In response, the United Nations issued what is known as the Corell Opinion regarding the legality of resource extraction in Western Sahara. (ipsnews.net)
  • There's a lot going on in Morocco, and the question is how can it leverage what it has to attract American investments to Morocco that can then be directed to a European market or south to the African markets," Jean AbiNader, the executive director of the Moroccan American Trade and Investment Centre, a non-profit established by Morocco's King Mohammed VI, told IPS. (ipsnews.net)
  • At this week's conference, participating energy companies, such as Dow Chemical, were given the option to attend sessions on Morocco's energy sector, highlighting the potential for both renewable and carbon-based investment in the kingdom. (ipsnews.net)
  • Since Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the endorsement of Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara has been reiterated. (atlasofwars.com)
  • Polisario Front1, the liberation movement of Western Sahara, had fought to claim its independence but failed to do so. (lu.se)
  • According to the Moroccan government, in 1958 the Moroccan Army of Liberation fought Spanish colonizers and almost liberated what was then Spanish Sahara. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • Moroccan settlers currently make up more than two thirds of the 500,000 inhabitants of Western Sahara . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • Despite sporadic clashes with protestors and occasional use of tear gas and rubber bullets, government forces exhibited restraint with only one death reported. (state.gov)
  • Morocco currently controls the majority of Western Sahara's natural resources in the form of fisheries, phosphates and iron ore, and other resources. (iijd.org)
  • An EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement from 2013 would be both politically controversial and in violation of international law. (fishelsewhere.eu)
  • The US government's approval of Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara came in exchange for its normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel on the same day. (atlasofwars.com)
  • The scale and geographic spread of protests were the largest since the end of the country's civil war in 2002. (state.gov)
  • In 2015, a European court invalidated a trade deal between the European Union (EU) and Morocco that involved Western Sahara, prompting a diplomatic backlash from Morocco. (wikipedia.org)
  • The Corell Opinion recognises Morocco as the de facto administrative power of Western Sahara. (ipsnews.net)
  • There is, for instance, a de facto recognition of the Moroccan claim on the part of some countries such as the case of the United Kingdom. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • The 'Alawi dynasty , which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world . (explained.today)
  • The French company Total paid the Moroccan government near 4 million US dollars for the Anzarane exploration licence offshore Western Sahara, under illegal occupation. (wsrw.org)
  • 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. (wsrw.org)
  • Western Sahara Resource Watch works to uncover the plunder of the territory and to keep the companies and governments accountable for their support to the occupation. (wsrw.org)
  • While international investors in renewable energy have long favoured Morocco, enabling the construction of solar plants and wind farms, U.S. and European corporations are also rushing to take advantage of concessions for possible oil reserves, some of which are potentially located in the Western Sahara, which many people view as under Moroccan occupation. (ipsnews.net)
  • Under international law, Western Sahara is not a legal part of Morocco and it remains under the international laws of military occupation . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • The majority of the territory of Western Sahara is currently administered by the Kingdom of Morocco. (wikipedia.org)
  • The statement further claimed that Morocco and Kenya had signed a joint statement agreeing that "in deference to the principle of territorial integrity and non-interference, the Republic of Kenya [had extended] total support to the serious and credible autonomy plan proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco" as the only possible solution to the Sahara issue. (towardfreedom.org)
  • Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa . (explained.today)
  • The official position of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1963 is that all of Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • MINURSO intended the referendum to determine whether the Western Sahara would become an independent state or part of Morocco, but the vote was never able to be implemented due to disagreements over who was eligible to take part. (ipsnews.net)
  • In lieu of a referendum on self-determination, Spain ceded administrative control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, two nations that asserted claims over regions in the occupied territory. (iijd.org)
  • This did not change the status of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, and prolonged the referendum. (iijd.org)
  • This communique, which was made public on Monday, September 19, reiterated, "UN Security Council Resolution 690 (1991)… calls for the self-determination of Western Sahara through a free and fair referendum administered by the UN and the AU. (towardfreedom.org)
  • However, backed by the US, UK, and the EU, Morocco successfully sabotaged the referendum promised by the UN, and MINURSO was reduced to a peace-keeping force. (atlasofwars.com)
  • An increasing number of investors are questioning the involvement of exploration of oil in Western Sahara, which the UN Legal Counsel found to be in violation of international law. (wsrw.org)
  • The UN Legal Counsel addressed the Security Council in 2002 stating that the use of mineral resources by an administering power of a non-self-governing territory is legal unless "conducted in disregard of the needs and interests of the people of that territory. (iijd.org)
  • We urge the remaining oil companies to follow suit", stated WSRW. (wsrw.org)
  • Fishing and oil exploration contracts concerning Western Sahara are sources of political tension. (wikipedia.org)
  • Electricity - production: 0 (all estimates are for 2015) Electricity - consumption: 0 Oil - production: 0 barrels per day (0 m3/d) Oil - consumption: 1,700 barrels per day (270 m3/d) Fishing and oil exploration contracts concerning Western Sahara are sources of political tension. (wikipedia.org)
  • At a Storebrand seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility in 2003, even the then deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Vidar Helgesen, who is now he Norwegian minister for EU affairs, underlined the problematic aspects of TGS-Nopecs oil exploration in Western Sahara . (wsrw.org)
  • Morocco has placed a high emphasis on oil and gas exploration in its energy policy. (ipsnews.net)
  • But it also states that "while the specific contracts … are not in themselves illegal, if further exploration and exploitation activities were to proceed in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara, they would be in violation of the principles of international law applicable to mineral resource activities in Non-Self-Governing Territories. (ipsnews.net)
  • Western Sahara is listed by the United Nations (UN) as a non- decolonized territory and is thus included in the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories , which regards Spain as the de jure administering state. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • The Moroccan government hopes to capitalise on its 2006 free trade agreement with the United States and encourage U.S. investment in the country by presenting it as a gateway to European, Middle Eastern and African markets. (ipsnews.net)
  • Western Sahara human rights activist Aminatou Haidar hopes for increased attention to the EU plundering of occupied Western Sahara. (fishelsewhere.eu)
  • After a war in which the Frente POLISARIO was victorious, Mauritania and the Frente POLISARIO entered into an agreement in which Mauritania renounced all claims over Western Sahara. (iijd.org)
  • Mauritania administers the western half of the Ras Nouadhibou Peninsula. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • It was also stated that the exclusion of Total was reversed after the French multinational decided to withdraw its involvement in Western Sahara in December 2015. (wsrw.org)
  • The French multinational oil company has announced that it is no longer pursuing oil search offshore Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • citation needed] Key agricultural products from Western Sahara include fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases), as well as camels, sheep and goats. (wikipedia.org)
  • [ citation needed ] The fathers of many of the Polisario leaders were among the veterans of the Moroccan Southern Army, for example the father of Polisario leader Mohammed Abdelaziz . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • Sahrawis [indigenous Western Saharans] are standing on the sidelines of this project, waving their arms and telling companies to stop doing this on behalf of the Moroccan government. (ipsnews.net)
  • Moroccan forces continued "their savagery and violence," while Sahrawis "were forced by the international community to wait for nothing. (atlasofwars.com)
  • Morocco is not willing to allow the people the right to self-determination today, and the oil industry is becoming an obstacle in terms of putting pressure in Morocco to accept that right. (ipsnews.net)
  • In the Moroccan-administered territory, fishing and phosphate mining are the principal sources of income for the population. (wikipedia.org)
  • Among them are the French company Total, which are now back in from the cold after they withdrew from the territory. (wsrw.org)
  • WASHINGTON, Mar 11 2014 (IPS) - Even as U.S. and Moroccan executives meet to discuss strengthening private sector ties between the two countries, advocacy groups are raising concerns about plans by a U.S. energy firm to explore for oil in the contested territory known as Western Sahara. (ipsnews.net)
  • The territory in this case is Western Sahara, South of Morocco, who includes the territory as part of its own country. (lu.se)
  • This gave the Frente POLISARIO control over approximately one-third of the territory, leaving Morocco with the other two-thirds. (iijd.org)
  • Resources originating from the territory of Western Sahara are marketed by the Moroccan government as originating from Morocco, and companies wishing to take advantage of the resources present in the territory contract through the Moroccan government or Moroccan businesses. (iijd.org)
  • Nevertheless, in late 2020, then-U.S. President Donald Trump had announced his decision to open a consulate in occupied Western Sahara, in effect recognizing it as Moroccan sovereign territory. (towardfreedom.org)
  • Morocco also claims Ceuta and Melilla , making up about 22.8km2 more claimed territory. (explained.today)
  • It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east , and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south . (explained.today)
  • Although the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) treats the status of Western Sahara as 'undetermined', its lack of reference to its current effective partition, considering the existence of the Polisario-held areas, indicates an acceptance of Morocco as the administering power in the entire territory. (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • KLP considers Total's activities in Western Sahara unethical. (wsrw.org)
  • The EU considers to pay Morocco to fish in occupied Western Sahara. (fishelsewhere.eu)
  • The constitution provides for freedom of speech and press, and independent media outlets regularly criticized and satirized government officials and policies, but the government on some occasions restricted these rights. (state.gov)
  • In 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that a fishing treaty between the EU and the Moroccan government did not include fishing grounds off the coast of Western Sahara. (wikipedia.org)
  • By 2021, the new Sudanese government began having second thoughts about the deal and sought new terms that included economic aid ( The Arab Weekly , September 16, 2021). (aberfoylesecurity.com)
  • Implicitly criticizing the new president's hasty announcement, the communique signed by principal secretary Ambassador Macharia Kamau added, "It should be equally noted that Kenya does not conduct its foreign policy on Twitter or any other social media platforms, rather through official government documents and frameworks. (towardfreedom.org)
  • Following a meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Ruto had tweeted on September 14, "At State House in Nairobi, received a congratulatory message from His Majesty King Mohammed VI. (towardfreedom.org)
  • The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. (explained.today)
  • The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era over 300,000 years ago, and the first Moroccan state was established by Idris I in 788. (explained.today)
  • Western Sahara Resource Watch. (wikipedia.org)
  • A representative of Storebrad confirmed to Western Sahara Resource Watch that all four exclusions were due to Western Sahara involvement. (wsrw.org)
  • Government and business leaders from the United States and Morocco are gathering in Rabat this week for the second annual Morocco-U.S. Business Development Conference. (ipsnews.net)
  • Morocco controls two-thirds of Western Sahara including the entire coastline. (iijd.org)
  • EWOS avslutter kjøp av fiskeolje fra Marokko og Vest-Sahara" (in Norwegian). (wikipedia.org)
  • The Norwegian insurance company Storebrand has blacklisted both phosphate and oil companies involved in occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • The Norwegian pension scheme KLP is excluding the French oil company Total from its investments. (wsrw.org)
  • Desertec, a Munich-based solar energy company, declined to place a plant in Western Sahara for "reputational reasons. (wikipedia.org)
  • No fishing in Western Sahara should take place until the conflict is solved. (fishelsewhere.eu)
  • The Annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco took place in two stages, in 1976 and 1979, and is considered illegal under international law . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • In December 2004, French oil company TotalEnergies decided not to renew their license off Western Sahara. (wikipedia.org)
  • On the published list , there are four companies that were excluded due to involvement in Western Sahara: the French oil company Total, as well as the three phosphate importers Agrium, PotashCorp, and Incitec Pivot. (wsrw.org)
  • French and the Moroccan dialect of Arabic are also widely spoken. (explained.today)
  • The contract was not extended in December 2015", company writes on website. (wsrw.org)
  • The president has the constitutional authority to appoint and dismiss cabinet members and the prime minister, who is the head of government. (state.gov)
  • [16] Morocco is a unitary semi- constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. (explained.today)
  • As such, the majority of the economic activity of Western Sahara happens in the framework of the economy of Morocco. (wikipedia.org)
  • However, its involvement in Western Sahara has been taken note of and will be dealt with if the company tidies up the other issues», the representative stated. (wsrw.org)
  • The occupying power has received key gestures of support from Western powers since fighting resumed, which many argue has emboldened it even further. (atlasofwars.com)
  • A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. (state.gov)
  • Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta , Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. (explained.today)
  • Agreement, or the Liberalization Agreement, aimed at liberalizing the European imports from Morocco, is also applied to Western Sahara. (lu.se)
  • The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigated the human rights situation in Western Sahara in 2006. (iijd.org)