FMC Corp disappointed over Norway blacklisting 23.12 - 2011 17:00 FMC Corporation states that they have stopped importing phosphates from Western Sahara to Spain and that they should never have been kicked out of the Norwegian government's pension fund for lack of ethics.
Yara denies new Western Sahara purchases19.12 - 2011 The Norwegian fertilizer firm Yara states their position remains unchanged, and that they do not purchase phosphates from Western Sahara. Yara's new agreement with Moroccan phosphate firm specifically excludes purchases from Western Sahara, according to the company.Read more
US law firm continues pro-occupation lobby 08.12 - 2011 Covington & Burling, the US lobby law firm that lobbies for the Moroccan phosphate trade from occupied territory of Western Sahara travelled all the way to Oslo to explain to an investor how the Saharawis supposedly benefit from the trade. Still, the firm refuse to talk to Saharawis or civil society about the industry.Read more
Bastagli: the UN is failing in Western Sahara06.11 - 2011 At a conference in Bergen 27 October, former UN Special Representative to Western Sahara aired his disappointment over the international community’s inability to solve the last colonial issue in Africa.Read more
Daddach criticising Morocco closing court doors 02.11 - 2011 Former Rafto laureate criticised lack of openness in Moroccan courts at a seminar in Center for Middle Eastern Studies in Bergen, Norway. He was himself denied access to a court last month.
27 Oct: Western Sahara conference in Bergen23.10 - 2011 Big names arriving Bergen: A former UN top official, a former Rafto Award Laureate, important academics. Come to Western Sahara conference 27 October! Conference language: English.Read more
Series of Norwegian nutrition studies in the refugee camps13.10 - 2011 A Norwegian humanitarian organisation and a university college has cooperated on researching the nutrition levels of the Saharawi refugees. The cooperation has led to a series of publications. See the studies here. Read more
Firms in Western Sahara fail human rights due dilligence 10.10 - 2011 Associate Professor, Hans Morten Haugen, on a conference on Corporate Social Responsability in Norway, elaborated on how Norwegian importing firms relate to the advice of the Norwegian government to abstain from Western Sahara trade, and how they omit the proper due dilligence on human rights. Read more
Oil subcontractor pulls out of Western Sahara 08.10 - 2011 "I have no problem in stating, in retrospect, that it might have been a bad idea to take this assignment”, CEO of seismic services firm Spectrum ASA told media today. Now, Irish oil minor San Leon has to find another subcontractor to process the geological data they collect from the occupied territory in violation of international law.
Morocco is continuing its oil programme on the Boujdour onshore block. These cars were filmed as they did geological surveys in the occupied territories. Read more
Norway: "Saharawi's wishes must be respected"30.06 - 2011 Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs underlines that the wishes of the Sahrawis must be taken into account upon undertaking business in the territory of Western Sahara. Read more
Norwegian government clarifies Western Sahara position22.06 - 2011 “We urge businesses to stay away from the territory since we do not recognise the annexation of Western Sahara" stated Norway's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Friday. An opening to invest in the "illegitimately annexed" territory is given under the condition it benefits the local population - “and with the local population we of course refer to the Sahrawi people”, said the Deputy Minister. Read more
Freedom and democracy in the Arab world 31.03 - 2011 The Norwegian Support Committee of Western Sahara supports the struggle for democracy across the Arab world. Dictators and security forces have for too long dominated the region and suppressed the peoples’ call for freedom.
Free West Papua! 31.03 - 2011 The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara stands in solidarity with the people of West Papua and their struggle for self determination. West Papua, the western half of the island of New Guinea, is a former Dutch colony occupied by Indonesia. It borders the independent state of Papua New Guinea. Read more
Norway: Saharan resources are not Moroccan07.03 - 2011 "Morocco does not have the right to exploit the area’s resources as if they were its own", states Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs, underlining that fisheries in Western Sahara "must be exercised in accordance with the wishes and interests of the population involved".Read more
Norwegian tourists detained, then thrown out of Western Sahara 11.01 - 2011 Two Norwegian tourists were detained in Western Sahara today. The two men were taken by the police few minutes after meeting the mother of Sahrawi prisoner of conscience, Brahim Dahane. The formal explanation they were given by the Moroccan police for their detention and expulsion was that "speaking with the local population is not explicitly permitted with a Moroccan tourist visa".Read more
Since 1975, three quarters of the territory of Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco. A majority of the population is still living in refugee camps in Algeria. Those who remained in their homeland are subjected to serious harassment from the Moroccan occupiers. For more than 40 years the Sahrawis have been waiting for the fullfilment of their legitimate right to self-determination.
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A 20 page long booklet on the Western Sahara conflict has been published by the Norwegian Refugee Council. Order a hard copy version of the publication "Occupied Country, Displaced People" here.
Since 1975, three quarters of the territory of Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco. A majority of the population is still living in refugee camps in Algeria. Those who remained in their homeland are subjected to serious harassment from the Moroccan occupiers. For more than 40 years the Sahrawis have been waiting for the fullfilment of their legitimate right to self-determination.
