UN states that Sahrawis must be consulted - but the EU doesn't seem to care. Sahrawis in occupied Western Sahara protest EU's violation of international law in their territory, as the European Commission works to continue the unethical fisheries offshore their coast.
According to the UN, the Saharawis must be consulted regarding natural resource activity in their territory.
However, the EU ignores to take into account the UN opinion on the issue. Particularly the Spanish government refuses to give the Sahrawi people the right that the UN demands, and has pushed the Commission to work for a continuation of the EU fisheries in Western Sahara, despite the wishes even of the Fisheries Commissioner herself.
After 4 years of continuous fisheries, not a single piece of evidence has been made public as to whether the EU's fisheries is to any benefit for the Saharawis. All information presented by the Sahrawis themselves, point to the opposite: the millions of Euros that the EU pays to Morocco for fishing in the non-Moroccan waters offshore Western Sahara are used to cement the illegal and brutal occupation.
This week, Saharawi small-scale fishermen in Western Sahara have continued the demonstrations against the marginalisation they experience from access to their own waters. "Where is our right in fishing treaty", one of the banners read. Only few weeks ago, dozens of fishermen were refused entry to the port of Boujdour.
Licences are in stead given to the EU fleet, and to Moroccan settlers. The photos of this demonstration were taken this week, in El Aaiun, inside the territory. Among the demonstrators were also victims of other human rights abuses committed recently by Moroccan government, following the social protests last year, in which a substantial part of the entire Sahrawi people took to the streets against the marginalisation they experience in their own country.
The EU considers to pay Morocco to fish in occupied Western Sahara. An EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement from 2013 would be both politically controversial and in violation of international law.
The international Fish Elsewhere! campaign demands the EU to avoid such unethical operations, and go fishing somewhere else. No fishing in Western Sahara should take place until the conflict is solved.
