Oslo, 29 June 2025 (SPS) – The International Observatory for Monitoring Western Sahara Resources, in its annual report released this June, documented Morocco’s continued plundering of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara, in blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.
The report called on Morocco to respect international law, immediately halt the production and export of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara, and uphold the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
According to the report, approximately 1.45 million tons of phosphate rock were exported in 2024, with an estimated value of $319 million USD, compared to 1.59 million tons in 2023, worth $406 million USD.
The report stated that the plundering of natural resources from colonized peoples is "not just a legal violation, but a political and moral crime that must stop."
It urged international companies and institutions to "take responsibility and immediately cease supporting these illegal activities, in respect of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and to benefit from their own wealth."
The report provided detailed information on companies involved in purchasing phosphates from occupied Western Sahara, noting that illegally exploited phosphate rock remains a major source of income for the Moroccan government from territories it controls in violation of international law.
It revealed that the number of foreign companies complicit in the plunder of Sahrawi phosphates dropped from 15 to just 4 in 2024, while the number of ships leaving Western Sahara loaded with phosphates decreased from 29 in 2023 to 26 in 2024.
In a statement to the Algerian News Agency (APS), Ghali Zubeir, head of the Sahrawi Petroleum and Minerals Authority, described the report as "very important and providing accurate data" on the companies involved in the theft of Sahrawi phosphates.
He noted that despite Morocco’s ongoing expansion of the export port in Western Sahara, "the number of companies involved in phosphate plunder has fallen from 15 to just 4," leading to a decline in the quantity of phosphates looted, primarily by companies from New Zealand, India, and Mexico.
Zubeir attributed this decline to the legal victories achieved by the Polisario Front in European courts. However, he stressed that "even though the amount of stolen phosphate dropped to 1.45 million tons last year, this figure remains extremely high for Western Sahara, which has been plundered since the beginning of Morocco’s occupation to this day."
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