The taking of the Sahara: the role of natural resources in the continuing occupation of Western Sahara

The taking of the Sahara: the role of natural resources in the continuing occupation of Western Sahara

Jeffrey J. Smith argues that the exploitation of Western Sahara’s fisheries and phosphate has kept Morocco’s occupation going since 1975 and delayed the Sahrawi people’s self-determination. He shows how Spain built up and profited from these resources and how the 1975 Madrid Accords secured continued access to them.

Using his own estimates, Smith values the resources exported from the territory up to 2015 at about 5.65 billion US dollars in present value, mostly phosphate and fish. He compares this with Morocco’s stated development spending in the territory. On the law, he argues that the right of non-self-governing peoples to control their own resources and the rules of international humanitarian law against pillage and the transfer of settlers both apply, but are hardly enforced. His sources include EU and Russian fishing agreements, Moroccan government documents and ICJ and UN materials.

He concludes that resource extraction gives Morocco a basis for settling its own citizens in the territory, a measure of domestic and tacit international legitimacy, and a strong reason to resist change. Smith sees natural resources as the area where international law is most likely to be applied, though he expects this to happen slowly.

Full article

Read the full article on Taylor & Francis Online

Support our work