Upon the visit of the UN Secretary-General to the Saharawi refugee camps yesterday, the SADR Government deposited with Ban Ki-Moon - as the depositary of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea - the coordinates and charts of its exact EEZ claims.
"The coordinates and charts showing the EEZ outer limits will now be communicated to all UN member states trough their Permanent Missions in New York", stated Frente Polisario in a press release.
The initial 200 nautical mile Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) claim offshore Western Sahara was initially deposited on 22 January 2009, but without precisely defining the maritime borders to the neighbouring states Morocco, Spain and Mauritania, or extention into international waters.
"In clarifying the outer limits of Western Sahara's EEZ, the SADR Government made clear that it is not willing to tolerate the illegal exploitation of its natural resources, including rich offshore fisheries resources, nor ongoing efforts by Morocco and complicit foreign companies to explore the seabed resources in Western Sahara's waters", the statement reads.
Download the entire media release, with the coordinates and maps, here.
No state in the world recognise Morocco's self-proclaimed demands of sovereignty over Western Sahara. Those have been rejected by the International Court of Justice. The UN deals with Western Sahara as the last unresolved colonial issue in Africa.
Ban Ki-Moon's visit yesterday to the liberated territories of Western Sahara, and to the refugee camps in Algeria was the first during his time in office.
One of the richest coastlines in the world
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.
The CJEU Court Cases
Keeping track of the many legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara is not easy. This page offers an overview of the cases concerning the territory that have been before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Tūhana human rights advisors ignore human rights
A consultancy hired to assess phosphate imports from occupied Western Sahara into New Zealand concludes there is no problem.
MEPs push back on Commission over Western Sahara in EU–Morocco trade
MEPs from across the political spectrum sharply criticised the European Commission over its handling of EU-Morocco trade relations covering occupied Western Sahara, raising concerns over legality, transparency and an apparent disregard for Parliament’s role.