Chahid Elhafed (Sahrawi Republic) 09 July 2025 (SPS)– The Sahrawi Observatory for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (SONREP) hailed the official end of all imports of phosphate rock from the occupied territories of Western Sahara to Australia, in a Press Release issued Today.
SONREP commended the decision taken by Dyno Nobel, formerly Incitec Pivot, to close its Geelong Single Super Phosphate (SSP) manufacturing facility, effectively ending its involvement in what has long been deemed an "ethically and legally problematic supply chain."
“For years, civil society organisations have documented and opposed the trade of Western Sahara’s phosphate, which has occurred without the free, prior, and informed consent of the Sahrawi people,” SONREP said. “The end of Australia’s role in this trade represents a long-overdue alignment with international law.”
As stated in the press release, "The exploitation and export of natural resources from an occupied territory without the free, prior, and informed consent of its people constitutes a breach of international legal norms, including the principles affirmed in the 2002 Legal Opinion of the United Nations."
For decades, phosphate mined in Western Sahara has been exported through Moroccan authorities, who occupy the territory despite international rulings and widespread condemnation. Australia had been one of a handful of remaining importers of this phosphate, used primarily in agricultural fertilisers.
The "Sahrawi people, as the rightful owners of these resources, have never consented to their extraction or commercialisation under foreign occupation." SONREP has warmly welcomed Australia's decision, emphasizing that "all actors—public and private—have a responsibility to ensure that their operations are fully aligned with international law and human rights standards."
The observatory further urged other countries and companies currently importing phosphate from occupied Western Sahara—such as New Zealand, India, Mexico, and Japan—to follow Australia's lead and "immediately end their involvement in this unlawful trade."
The end of phosphate imports from Western Sahara to Australia is being seen by campaigners as a moral and legal milestone. It reflects growing global pressure on companies to avoid complicity in resource exploitation linked to occupation or conflict. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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