Europe : Campaign to Expose Morocco’s Exploitation of Western Sahara Resources
The “Active Sahrawi Youth in Europe” organization has launched a campaign to expose the Moroccan occupation’s ongoing plunder of the Sahrawi people’s resources and to mobilize forces to demand compliance with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rulings and an end to the systematic looting of the occupied territory.
The campaign involves organizing events across several European countries to raise public awareness about the risks of the recent trade agreement signed between Morocco and the European Commission. This agreement includes products originating from Western Sahara in blatant violation of European court rulings, which affirmed that Western Sahara and Morocco are “separate and distinct territories” and that the Sahrawi people must give their consent to any such agreement.
Regarding the initiative, the spokesperson for Active Sahrawi Youth in Europe, Ahmedna Abdi Mubarak, told APS that the campaign aims to expose these practices and convey the truth to the international public, the truth that Sahrawi products sold in Europe come from an occupied territory and are the property of the Sahrawi people, the sole legitimate sovereign of Western Sahara.
The spokesperson further stressed that Sahrawi youth are committed to the struggle to protect their natural resources and stop the plundering of their land, which the United Nations (UN) classifies as a territory awaiting decolonization.
He affirmed that “this struggle is essential and extremely important to exert pressure to uphold international legitimacy.” “Parallel actions are being carried out within Europe to denounce the plundering of Western Sahara’s natural resources, while certain products originating from the occupied territory continue to be marketed in major European stores and supermarkets as ‘Moroccan’ products,” he said.
As affirmed by the CJEU, Western Sahara is a territory separate and distinct from Morocco, a position reinforced in its October 4, 2024, ruling.
The Sahrawi activist further outlined the legal battle waged by the Polisario Front to defend these resources in cooperation with European partners, which culminated in a landmark victory before the Grand Chamber of the CJEU. Despite this, the exploitation of these resources continues, serving as a key mechanism that sustains the occupation.
Furthermore, the spokesperson condemned the exploitation of these natural resources to finance an illegal occupation through the involvement of foreign companies and institutions.
He noted that, under the law, such entities are considered “partners in the illegal occupation.”
