International shipping companies have been warned that ships being used to plunder resources from Western Sahara will be seized and legal means used to procure compensation for cargoes taken from the disputed territory.
The move comes just days after a Manx (Isle of Man) based company said it would stop using its vessels to carry phosphates from the country (link):
The new warning has been carried on the Western Sahara Resource Watch website and it highlights court proceedings already underway:
Large parts of Western Sahara have been occupied illegally by Morocco and until now it has been assumed that secretive entities using shell companies and shipping registers in offshore tax dodging centres like the Isle of Man could exploit the resources of the territory on behalf of Morocco. Meanwhile many of the people of West Sahara live in abject poverty in refugee camps in neighbouring Algeria. Refugee camps first established in West Sahara were bombed by the Moroccan Air Force.
It’s clear now however that such activity will if continued cost these companies dearly.
As for the Isle of Man government which has made commendable efforts to support relief work in other parts of Africa it has stayed strangely silent about Manx involvement in the exploitation of West Sahara.
Related link Western Sahara Resource Watch main site:
Image: SPLA fighters who wish to rid their homeland of Moroccan occupation. Now the battle is also being fought in courts globally.
BERNARD MOFFATT
Public Relations Officer Mannin Branch
Issued by: The Mannin branch of the Celtic League.
28/06/17
