Companies Plundering Sahrawi Wealth Are Perpetuating Colonialism in Western Sahara
BERLIN – German writer and international studies researcher Ramona Schnall has denounced European companies for their active complicity in the plunder of Western Sahara’s natural resources, accusing them of reinforcing Morocco’s illegal occupation. In an article published on Treffpunkt, a platform affiliated with the Federation of Young European Federalists, Schnall warned that these corporations not only ignore the colonial reality in Western Sahara but are deeply invested in sustaining it.
She highlighted that Western Sahara, rich in resources such as fisheries and phosphates, generates vast profits for multinational corporations—especially those based in the European Union, where phosphates are crucial for modern agriculture. With the accelerating global shift toward renewable energy, Western Sahara’s sunny and windy landscape, as well as its potential for green hydrogen, have made it a target for massive investment by European firms seeking solutions to climate change and energy transition.
Schnall emphasized that Morocco cannot transform the occupied territory into a renewable energy hub without political and financial backing. She accused the Moroccan regime of trading diplomatic recognition for economic favors, pressuring countries and institutions to accept its claims of sovereignty over Western Sahara. This, she warned, comes in direct defiance of rulings by the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Justice, both of which have reaffirmed the Sahrawi people’s exclusive right to their land and resources. All EU-Morocco agreements that include Western Sahara’s wealth, she said, are therefore legally null.
In addition to economic exploitation, Schnall criticized Morocco’s documented human rights abuses in the territory, including torture, forced disappearances, and repression of Sahrawi activists, citing reports from organizations like Amnesty International. She concluded by condemning European companies for being far from neutral actors. Through their investments and silence, she argued, they actively enable the continuation of Morocco’s illegal occupation—undermining international law and the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
