Natural resources and intifada: oil, phosphates and resistance to colonialism in Western Sahara

Natural resources and intifada: oil, phosphates and resistance to colonialism in Western Sahara

Joanna Allan argues that natural resources, especially phosphate, were central to Saharawi nationalism under Spanish rule, but became a leading demand of activists in occupied Western Sahara only recently. She traces how resistance moved from hidden, everyday acts after the 1975 invasion, to open protest prompted by a UN visit in 1987, to demands for human rights, jobs and independence during the intifadas of the 1990s and 2005. The Gdeim Izik protest camp in 2010 was the turning point, when resource exploitation became a core grievance.

Based on around 20 interviews, two group discussions and fieldwork, Allan explains the shift through several factors: the oil exploration contracts issued by Morocco’s state oil company ONHYM, campaigns by international groups such as Western Sahara Resource Watch, the lack of education and jobs for young Saharawis, the stalled UN talks and the spread of social media. She argues that the contracts lack Saharawi consent, breach international law and strengthen the occupation.

Allan concludes that sovereignty over resources has become a strategic target of resistance, but warns that continued exploitation and fading hope in diplomacy may feed calls for a return to war.

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