Occupied El Aaiun, December 29, 2024 (SPS) - The Association for Monitoring Resources and Protecting the Environment in Western Sahara condemned today, Sunday, the environmental crimes committed by the Moroccan occupation in Sahrawi waters, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities and open a "comprehensive and transparent" investigation into these actions.
In a statement, the Association said that the phenomenon of dumping tons of fish into Sahrawi waters by Moroccan fishermen "is not an isolated incident, but part of an ongoing disaster threatening the marine environment and local fisheries." It explained that some fishermen resort to throwing thousands of tons of fish into the sea after exceeding their allocated quotas or due to their inability to sell them, wasting the opportunity for benefit and harming the local fishing environment.
It added that this phenomenon "results in economic losses for the Sahrawi community" and points to irresponsible practices that "reflect the extent of corruption rampant in the fishing sector, which harms the sustainability of fish resources in the region."
The Association for Monitoring Resources and Protecting the Environment in Western Sahara considered the indiscriminate dumping of fish into the sea as "a blatant violation of basic environmental rules" and "a significant threat to the future of fisheries in the region."
The Association called on the international community, including the United Nations and relevant international organizations, to "assume their responsibilities regarding what is happening in the occupied Sahrawi waters," reminding that Western Sahara is the last African colony yet to undergo decolonization, which makes the international community's responsibility "more urgent in ensuring the protection of the environment and natural resources of the Sahrawi people."
