Dakhla harbour off limits for UN staff?
Article image

The Moroccan authorities have allegedly barred the UN Peace Mission in Western Sahara from entering the harbour of Dakhla, located in the south of the occupied territory.

Published 21 May 2013

According to the Moroccan internet news site goud.ma, the Moroccan authorities in the city of Dakhla have stopped MINURSO officers from accessing the premises of the city's port, claiming that they do not possess the necessary licenses.

The article says that the ban comes after several, out-of-the-ordinary visits of MINURSO personnel to harbour of Dakhla, where they shot photos of vessels and ongoing harbour operations.

MINURSO has been in the territory since 1991, following the UN-brokered cease fire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario. The Mission was mandated to organise a referendum on self-determination, through which the Saharawi people could freely decide the future status of their land. But Morocco has continuously blocked the referendum from taking place, as it has in recent years thwarted efforts to enlarge MINURSO's mandate so as to include a human rights monitoring component.

In the run-up to the annual review of the MINURSO mandate, the UN Secretary General issued a report on the situation in Western Sahara which contains several references to Saharawi protests on the back of Morocco's ongoing plunder of the territory's natural resources. "In some instances, protesters drew attention to aspects of the exploitation of natural resources of the region that they considered contrary to international law. In others, they raised concerns regarding the issue of the provision of social services. In Dakhla and Laayoune, fisherfolk and current and former employees of the Boucraa phosphate mines demanded improvements in labour conditions", Ban Ki-Moon wrote. 

WSRW has not yet been able to confirm the information from local sources.

Photo: UN/Martine Perret
 

Polisario expresses concern to Security Council over EU fisheries

Same day as the EU will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, the union carries out a new round negotiations over illegal fisheries in Western Sahara. The Security Council will be briefed on the Western Sahara issue today, two days after receiving a letter where Polisario expresses its worry over the EU fishy involvement in the conflict.
28 November 2012

Report: EU-Morocco fisheries depends on illegal occupation

An external evaluation report on the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement 2019-2023 confirms that the agreement revolves, in its entirety, around Western Sahara.

08 March 2024

Rapid growth of conflict oysters

Half of Moroccan shellfish exporters approved for export into the EU, are in fact located in occupied Western Sahara.

10 January 2024

Swedish vessels entering occupied waters

Swedish fishing vessels are being exported to occupied Western Sahara.  

29 June 2023