More than a hundred persons are said to have been injured in Western Sahara's capital, observing the UN Human Rights day and frustrated over EU's new illegal fisheries agreement with Morocco in their waters. Videos keep coming in. See series.
The EU parliament today decided to continue the illegal EU fisheries practices in occupied Western Sahara. 2 hours later, Saharawis took to the streets. Several injured.
EU is about to enter into a new fishing agreement with Morocco, which is contrary to international law because Western Sahara is not excluded. The Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO) students' congress this weekend requested Norwegian politicians to talk some sense into the EU parliamentarians.
Ali Salem Tamek, a well known Saharawi human rights defender, was about to leave for Europe to undergo surgery, when the Moroccan police came to arrest his wife on false charges.
The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara is 20 years old this week.
A number of videos from the occupied territories have during the last few days been published Youtube.
On October 14th The Icelandic Association for Western Sahara was formally founded.
The company Total is carrying out oil exploration in the Sahara and was this year present on Career Day at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. Changemaker, SAIH and The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara are now criticizing NTNU for lack of ethical guidelines.
Salah 'The Runner' Amaidane came in at second place at Oslo Marathon, 10K, 21 Sept 2013.
A new report documents the discovery of eight executed Sahrawis in Western Sahara. The executions have not previously been known and shed light on Moroccos secrecy with regard to previous disappearances.
A new master thesis written by Yuka Heka at the University of Tromsø, Norway explores the relationship between national identity and political opinions of Saharawis.
A new documentary - The Runner - shows the motivation, struggle and history of the Saharawi who is running internationally, inspiring his people.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has today launched a report detailing how Morocco intends to build over 1000 MW (megawatts) of renewable energy plants in Western Sahara, a territory that Morocco partially occupies.
Western Sahara Resource Watch today launched a report on the French oil company Total's irresponsible comeback in occupied Western Sahara. The company carries out exploration in the territory despite the UN legal office stating it would be in violation of international law.
Five hopeful Sahrawi youth from the refugee camps were selected on Wednesday 14th of August for a two year International high school education at one of 13 United World Colleges (UWC) around the World.
The Norwegian investor KLP announced 3 June that they have blacklisted the oil company Total from its portfolio due to the company's oil activities offshore Western Sahara. The Norwegian Government's Pension Fund might land on the same conclusion.
The Norwegian pension scheme KLP is excluding the French oil company Total from its investments. KLP considers Total's activities in Western Sahara unethical.
Find here images from demonstrations, May 2013. Click on the photos for high resolution versions.
A group of three Norwegians that travelled to occupied Western Sahara yesterday, is at this moment being expelled from Western Sahara.
The Western Sahara liberation movement, Frente Polisario, publishes its position on human rights monitoring.
Sultana Khaya, who visited Norway last year, has once again been assaulted by the police during a demonstration. Amnesty expressed concern about the assaults on peaceful demonstrators.
Norwegian owned shipping company admits carrying out shipments from Western Sahara. In two recent articles in a Norwegian newspaper, the company received heavy criticism. “When Norwegian government urges companies to stay away from Western Sahara, one should try to follow those advice”, said competitor.
UN is attempting once again to kick life into the negotiations on the much-debated desert region. For four decades the inhabitants have been waiting in vain to decide the future of their occupied homeland. Aftenposten, 4 Feb 2012.
A group of four Norwegian youth politicians were expelled from Western Sahara yesterday. Their goal was to meet with Saharawi human rights activists to learn more about the conflict, and the excessive human rights violations.
When Manu Chao entered the stage at City Hall Square on Saturday, he had a message about the worlds injustice. As always. published in Dagsavisen, 27 August 2012.
The French Spanish musician Manu Chao played at a music festival in Oslo on 25 August - with the Western Sahara flag on stage.
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs was in April 2012 asked about the Norwegian government's position regarding expansion of the mandate of the UN operation in Western Sahara, to also include human rights monitoring.
Christian Democratic Party asks Norwegian Minister for Agriculture about Norway's work to recycle phosphates.
Norwegian company DNV, certified by the UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to evaluate projects seeking CDM-funding, has issued a negative opinion on the Moroccan King's envisioned windfarm project in occupied Western Sahara - precisely for taking place in a politically controversial territory.
The Norwegian representatives in Geneva today underlined the need for Morocco respecting that Saharawi organisations are allowed to formally register.
Human rights activits Sultana Khaya thanked the Green Party of Norway for the support for the Saharawi cause at the annual meeting in Bergen, Norway, 15 April.
France objects to human rights in Western Sahara. Some twenty people demonstrated for respect of human rights in front of France's embassy in Oslo today.
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.
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.
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.
Asria Mohamed Taleb, journalist from Western Sahara currently living in Norway, today launched a book on the conflict. Download the book here.
Demonstrators kicked out of the protest camp in, have been demonstrating in the city of El Aaiun. Demonstrators put fire on several houses.
At a conference in Bergen 27 October, former UN Special Representative to Western Sahara aired his disappointment over the international communitys inability to solve the last colonial issue in Africa.
7 March 2011, Swedish national TV was supposed to have screened the film ‘Stolen’. The TV station took the film off the programme after taking into consideration the wishes of the main character of the film.
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.
Sigrun Henjum defended today her PhD thesis on the iodine levels in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.
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.
"Morocco does not have the right to exploit the areas 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".
A group of Nordic students were last night ordered to leave occupied Western Sahara by Moroccan police.
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".
The Spanish embassy in Oslo does not wish to respond to the question whether the word “wishes” is mentioned in the conclusion of the UN 2002 legal opinion. In order to get an answer of how Spain interprets the UN document, a national Norwegian student organisation was referred to the Saharawi delegation in Madrid.
Norwegian company obliged to pay 1,2 million Euro in customs for importing fish oil from occupied Western Sahara. The importer falsely labelled Western Sahara products as Moroccan.
...arranged at 70 degrees north.
"A government that says repeatedly that it has nothing to hide should prove that by allowing all media and nongovernmental organizations to come and to collect information without obstacles", Human Rights Watch states.
The International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) adopted during this week-end's general assembly in Beirut a resolution strongly criticizing Morocco's violent occupation of Western Sahara.
Some 30 Sahrawis and Norwegians carried out a demonstration in front of the Spanish embassy in Oslo today to protest the Spanish government's undermining of the Sahrawi peoples rights. Spain is currently pushing the EU to try to renew an illegal fisheries agreement covering the waters offshore the occupied territories.
Saharawis and Norwegians demonstrated today against the last days of human rights violations in Western Sahara. The protesters also carried out a demonstration in front of the French cultural centre. "Sarkozy, stop blocking human rights", the Sahrawis asked.
For 3 weeks, they had been peacefully demonstrating in the desert. Today, Moroccan forces intervened, stopping the protest camp.
...until the Moroccan army stormed the place.
A 14-year old boy was shot and killed by Moroccan police last Sunday.
Saharawis wanting to join the new protest camp inside the occupied territories are chased away by stone throwing Moroccan army. Check out 02:21.
The film ‘Stolen’, which falsely portrays a Saharawi refugee woman as a slave, has been rejected by Bergen International Film Festival. The festival chose to take it off the programme, out of concern to the main character of the movie.
If the film makers behind this movie ever approach you for an interview, it would be wise to decline. Stolen - a movie that will be screened at a Norwegian film festival on Thursday - is full of fabricated subtitles. A normal Saharawi woman is portrayed as a slave despite no coverage for this claim in the movie.
A court in Oslo decided Friday to not prohibit the screening of a film at the Norwegian Short Film Festival tomorrow, despite the evidence that the film is a scam. All of the film's allegations presenting the main character Fetim as a slave have been fabricated. The main character feels deeply offended of the film being shown.
In a few hours, a refugee from Western Sahara will be victim of an offence of her dignity at the Norwegian Short Film Festival. At 2 PM today, a film will be screened, in which she is portrayed to be a slave something which she not is. Press release, 17 June 2010.
If the film makers behind this movie ever approach you for an interview, it would be wise to decline. Stolen - a movie that will be screened at a Norwegian film festival on Thursday - is full of fabricated subtitles. A normal Saharawi woman is portrayed as a slave despite no coverage for this claim in the movie.
"Since Morocco does not exercise internationally recognised sovereignty over Western Sahara, Western Sahara is not seen as a part of Morocco's territory in relation to this agreement. The Free Trade Agreement is thus not applicable to goods from Western Sahara", stated Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jonas Gahr Store, 11 May 2010.
The Moroccan-EFTA free trade agreement does not cover Western Sahara, according to Norwegian and Swiss authorities. This will have multi-million euro consequences for a firm that systematically mislabeled Western Sahara imports as Moroccan, and illustrates how the European Commission is on collision course with rest of the international community.
Dutch seismic services firm Fugro NV, and its Norwegian subsidiary Fugro-Geoteam, state they do not want to undertake any more assignments in Western Sahara under the current political situation in the country.
The company of the most important person in Norwegian business life, the President of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, is under investigation by Norwegian authorities. The reason is a failure to pay import tens of millions of euros on duties upon importing fish oil from occupied Western Sahara.
Paul-Christian Rieber, president of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), has for years traded with a country that Norwegian authorities have asked the business community to avoid. That may have been the main reason he resigned yesterday. Aftenposten, 24 April 2010.
Kongsberg Seatex had hoped to sell an ocean surveillance system to the Moroccan navy but chose to refrain because of the Western Sahara conflict. “We could not be absolutely sure that it would not be placed in Western Sahara,” Even Aas, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, told Norwatch.
Norwegian fish oil importer GC Rieber today announced that they have stopped all imports of fish oil from Morocco and occupied Western Sahara. After their biggest customer did not longer want to buy the controversial oil, the importer has chosen to stop further purchases from the region. Norwatch, 14 April 2010.
After revelations on Swedish and Norwegian TV, Cognis terminates all purchases of fish oil from Western Sahara and Morocco.
An unknown number of Saharawis were injured when Moroccan police cracked down on a peaceful demonstration for self determination in occupied Western Sahara Monday night. Strong images.