• Morocco's illegal exports of phosphate rock through a controversial conveyor belt has been targeted by what is claimed to be a bomb. (wsrw.org)
  • As Continental renegotiates its contract with Morocco's national phosphate company, it is still not clear whether the German group intends to limit its operations to Morocco proper or extend them into occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • By 2030, half of Morocco's wind energy production could be generated illegally in occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • The letter endorses Rabat's position on Western Sahara, describing Morocco's 2007 proposal for Sahrawi autonomy - which would integrate the territory into Morocco - as 'the most serious, realistic, and credible' basis for resolving the conflict. (popularresistance.org)
  • Spain is now the strongest European supporter of Morocco's autonomy plan - even in comparison to France, a close ally of Morocco. (popularresistance.org)
  • Additionally, media reports said the deal included an alleged $3 billion investment package for Moroccan banks, hotels and a renewable energy company owned by Morocco's King Mohammed VI, said the New York Times. (finalcall.com)
  • Critics say taking Morocco's side disqualified the U.S. as a credible broker on the Western Sahara issue. (finalcall.com)
  • In the case of Morocco, until Mr. Trump recognized Morocco's illegal land claim, America maintained relations with a noncommittal posture toward the contradiction. (finalcall.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 the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. (wikipedia.org)
  • Morocco has demanded that Israel recognise its sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara before Rabat opens an embassy in Tel Aviv, the news outlet Axios has reported, citing four current and former Israeli officials involved in the matter. (vifindia.org)
  • The Trump administration as part of this so-called Abraham Accords bought off Morocco by supporting Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara," said Mr. Fletcher. (finalcall.com)
  • 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)
  • Morocco has illegally occupied the territory of Western Sahara since 1975, causing half the Saharawi people to flee. (wsrw.org)
  • The territory was ceded to Morocco and Mauritania after the exit of Spain as a colonial power in 1975. (popularresistance.org)
  • In 1975, after Spain agreed to decolonise the territory and cede its control to Morocco and Mauritania, a guerrilla war broke out between those powers and some of the local inhabitants. (wikipedia.org)
  • 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)
  • Once colonized as the Spanish Sahara, the area has been in dispute since Spain relinquished it in 1975. (finalcall.com)
  • The Polisario has engaged an armed independence struggle against Morocco from 1975 until a United Nations brokered ceasefire was reached in 1991. (finalcall.com)
  • Since the Madrid Accords of 1975, a part of Western Sahara has been administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • Spain has announced that it has endorsed a proposal by the Kingdom of Morocco to designate the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as an "autonomous" region within the North African state. (popularresistance.org)
  • The most progressive states within the AU have supported the SADR in their struggle to win independence from Morocco. (popularresistance.org)
  • Both the United Nations and the African Union (AU) has recognized the SADR as a government in waiting with a legitimate claim to represent the people of the de facto colony. (popularresistance.org)
  • Nonetheless, in response to the seating of the SADR by the OAU/AU, Morocco withdrew its membership from the continental organization. (popularresistance.org)
  • 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)
  • In February 1976, the Polisario Front declared Western Sahara to be the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), with the support of allies that included Algeria. (finalcall.com)
  • The SADR controls 20 percent of its territory-mostly barren desert, while 80 percent is controlled by Morocco. (finalcall.com)
  • Morocco is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. (wikipedia.org)
  • The Moroccan government's plans to develop wind farms in occupied Western Sahara have drawn the interest of 16 international companies. (wsrw.org)
  • Former United States President Donald Trump in 2020, recognized Moroccan control over the Western Sahara in an attempt to strengthen relations between the Kingdom and the State of Israel. (popularresistance.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)
  • 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)
  • WSRW's latest annual report of the trade , containing the trade data of 2022, shows that four importing companies in the three countries received 92 percent of the exported minerals. (wsrw.org)
  • However, neither Polisario nor OCP or Morocco have commented on the matter. (wsrw.org)
  • The Polisario Front is the group that has been at war with Morocco over the years for the territory. (finalcall.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)
  • 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)
  • [ 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)
  • Three countries receive near all of the illegally exported phosphates: Mexico, India and New Zealand. (wsrw.org)
  • Morocco possesses the "last colony in Africa" with its occupation of the Western Sahara, which it long claimed since 1957 as its southern province. (finalcall.com)
  • The little-known conflict was exacerbated in the final weeks of the Donald Trump administration by an unprecedented decision to recognize a sovereign claim to the territory by the Kingdom of Morocco. (finalcall.com)
  • The Western Sahara is the only country which has not been declared independent within the AU, whose predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) after contentious debate, has advocated for the total liberation of the Western Sahara for nearly four decades. (popularresistance.org)
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • The UN has been unable to ensure that Morocco holds a national referendum within the Western Sahara over the future of the territory. (popularresistance.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)
  • The UN installed a peacekeeping force called the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) charged with monitoring the truce and coordinating the referendum on self-determination in the Western Sahara. (finalcall.com)
  • Moroccan identity and culture is a mix of Arab, Berber, African and European cultures. (wikipedia.org)
  • Centuries of Arab migration to the Maghreb since the 7th century shifted the demographic scope of Morocco. (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)
  • The payoff in exchange was Morocco signing the Abraham Accords of Arab nations normalizing relations with Israel. (finalcall.com)
  • The arms deal with Morocco is compared to the nearly $23.4 billion arms deal the U.S. gave the United Arab Emirates upon its inking the same Accords. (finalcall.com)
  • Initiated by the horse show association, the event includes notably the international model and gait show of Arab thoroughbreds, the Moroccan cup of Arab horses' breeders, the 2nd international barb horse championship and the Morocco Royal Tour final. (moroccanembassy.sa)
  • Morocco claims ownership of the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, which it has designated its Southern Provinces. (wikipedia.org)
  • Morocco (/məˈrɒkoʊ/ ), officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. (wikipedia.org)
  • Saharawis take part in 2014 conference on self-determination and independence held in Morocco. (finalcall.com)
  • The companies fail to explain why they consider Morocco to be a relevant business partner in relation to the conflict mineral. (wsrw.org)
  • As President Joseph Biden has been reversing policies of his predecessor, questions are floating about what his administration will do concerning the issue of Western Sahara, a disputed territory in North West Africa where conflict has recently escalated into war. (finalcall.com)
  • It's a real viable test for democracy," said Linn Washington, an investigative reporter who traveled to Western Sahara. (finalcall.com)
  • They (Morocco) have subverted democracy for all of these decades," Mr. Washington said. (finalcall.com)
  • The Sahrawis make up 500,000 people, with 170,000 living in UN administered refugee camps in Algeria and who fled a vicious independence war against Morocco that began in 1976. (finalcall.com)
  • 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)
  • 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. (wikipedia.org)
  • All stock-exchange registered companies that previously imported from the territory have halted the practice, as it was seen to be in violation of international law or fundamental human rights. (wsrw.org)
  • The Dec. 10 decision came weeks into the military action spurned by a Moroccan cease-fire violation. (finalcall.com)
  • Mauritania relinquished its falsely designated authority over the Western Sahara, while the Kingdom of Morocco, one of the few remaining monarchies on the continent, has refused to allow the people of the territory to even conduct an internationally supervised and monitored election on the status of their own country. (popularresistance.org)
  • 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)
  • 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. (wikipedia.org)
  • Mali's junta leader on Friday pardoned all 49 Ivorian soldiers whose arrest in July triggered a bitter diplomatic row, a government spokesman said, just a week after the courts sentenced them. (vifindia.org)
  • Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) has now obtained videos of the place where the explosion allegedly took place. (wsrw.org)
  • WSRW condemns the four companies' continued support to the Moroccan government. (wsrw.org)
  • In early July, WSRW contacted the energy companies that are pre-qualified to build windmills in occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • Continental's controversial contract in occupied Western Sahara is two weeks away from expiration. (wsrw.org)
  • Another controversial wind farm - Aftissat II - is about to be finalised in occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • 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. (wikipedia.org)
  • Morocco also claims Ceuta and Melilla , making up about 22.8km2 more claimed territory. (explained.today)
  • Formerly known as the "Spanish Sahara", the people of the territory have been demanding national independence for decades. (popularresistance.org)
  • Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, in 1956, Morocco regained its independence and reunified. (wikipedia.org)
  • Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable. (wikipedia.org)
  • Rumours have been circulating the last five days that a bomb had destroyed a section of the 100 kilometer conveyor belt that Morocco uses to export the phosphates from the mine deep inside the part of Western Sahara that it occupies and the coast. (wsrw.org)
  • Western Sahara Resource Watch calls on the companies that import phosphate rock from the territory and that provide infrastructure for Morocco in the territory that it occupies, to immediately end their support to the occupation. (wsrw.org)
  • Today, Morocco occupies two-thirds of the territory, and efforts to resolve the dispute have thus far failed to break the political deadlock. (wikipedia.org)
  • Elections for the lower chamber of parliament were held in 2017 and did not result in significant changes in the composition of the government. (state.gov)
  • Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah said his government is ready to hold general elections this year. (vifindia.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)
  • He pointed out that Morocco through strong lobbying efforts has garnered the support of many Democrats including Black lawmakers to certify its illegal occupation of the Western Sahara. (finalcall.com)
  • Under international law, Western Sahara is not a legal part of Morocco and it remains under the international laws of military occupation . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • Most involved the last years have been Enel, Siemens Gamesa and General Electric, through construction of energy infrastructure for the Moroccan government. (wsrw.org)
  • Yet, Morocco presents itself as best-in-class on the energy transition. (wsrw.org)
  • Asked to explain the sudden change in stance and dissonance within the government, Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told KTN News on Monday, "This was an administration in transition-[having been] only one day in office… We had many visitors, there [were] so many delegations, and communications had to be made. (towardfreedom.org)
  • 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)
  • As such, Morocco has no right to exploit the resources in the territory or build infrastructure there without the permission of the Saharawi people. (wsrw.org)
  • The company is partnering with the same royal family that brutally occupied the territory. (wsrw.org)
  • Some media figures alleged the government used its control over most printing houses and large amounts of public sector advertising preferentially, and that the lack of clear regulations over these practices permitted it to exert undue influence on press outlets. (state.gov)
  • A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. (state.gov)
  • Endorses Morocco Domination. (popularresistance.org)
  • This recent proclamation by Spain is clearly a manifestation of the legacy of neo-colonialism, where even independent governments are subjected to the economic domination of the imperialist states. (popularresistance.org)
  • The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. (wikipedia.org)
  • Germany's state-owned development bank will not finance projects in Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • 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. (wikipedia.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)
  • When Spain left, Morocco laid claim to the area triggering a resistance movement by the indigenous Sahrawi people refusing annexation of their lands. (finalcall.com)
  • French and the Moroccan dialect of Arabic are also widely spoken. (wikipedia.org)
  • A few days before this statement, the French government cut official development assistance (ODA) to Mali because it believed that Mali's government is "allied to Wagner's Russian mercenaries. (midwesternmarx.com)
  • HM the King also followed equestrian shows by French duo Fréderic Pignon and Magalie Delgado (singing and dancing with horses), French company Jehol (Cossak acrobatics) and Portuguese horseman Luis Valenca (Royal Carrousel). (moroccanembassy.sa)
  • Somalia's government claimed on Saturday that the Al Shabab extremist group has for the first time asked to open negotiations, amid a military offensive the government has described as "total war. (vifindia.org)
  • Speaking to The Final Call from Spain, Mr. Said argued, the U.S. has no rights to the Western Sahara to make it a part of any deal. (finalcall.com)
  • Moroccan settlers currently make up more than two thirds of the 500,000 inhabitants of Western Sahara . (decisivechro276.cfd)
  • In fact, the European Council on Foreign Relation (ECFR) in a recent report noted: "The surprise move came to light when King Mohammed VI (Morocco) revealed some of the contents of a private letter from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. (popularresistance.org)
  • 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)
  • The contract of German engineering company Continental that covers maintenance work on the phosphate conveyor belt in occupied Western Sahara expires in five months. (wsrw.org)
  • A subsidiary of the US company has signed a contract with the Moroccan king's energy firm for a large wind farm in Western Sahara, consistently referring to the location as part of Morocco. (wsrw.org)
  • Despite ongoing protest, German multinational Siemens is currently in the process of shipping windmill parts to El Aaiun, occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • Two more companies were excluded from KLP's investment portfolio with effect from December. (wsrw.org)
  • The German company Continental used to carry out the maintenance of the rubber elements of the belt, but the company terminated its involvement after critique from the international investors. (wsrw.org)
  • The executive branch is led by the King of Morocco and the prime minister, while legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. (wikipedia.org)