Western Sahara - Oil on Troubled Waters

This briefing discusses the impact of oil discoveries off the coast of Western Sahara on the long-standing territorial dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front. It details the failure of the UN-led referendum process, the geopolitical tensions involving Algeria, France, and the United States, and the legal disputes over oil exploration licenses issued by Morocco in the occupied territory.

• The discovery of oil fields off the coast of Western Sahara has increased the territory's profile and influenced the UN Security Council's decision to extend the mandate of Minurso by two months in March 2003.
• Morocco has occupied Western Sahara since 1975 in defiance of the UN and is unwilling to proceed with a referendum on the territory's future, as it believes the Saharawis would vote for independence.
• The conflict has strained Morocco's relations with Algeria, which supports the Saharawis and shelters approximately 160,000 refugees in camps, and has paralyzed the Maghreb Arab Union.
• UN legal counsel Hans Corel determined that Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara is illegal and therefore Morocco lacks the jurisdiction to issue licenses for the territory's mineral resources.
• Oil exploration in the region is contested, with the Australian-based Fusion Oil & Gas Company striking a deal with the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while Morocco's state-owned Onarep granted rights to Kerr-McGee and TotalFinaElf.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2003). Western Sahara - Oil on Troubled Waters. https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-apr-2003-western-sahara-oil-on-troubled-waters

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Western Sahara - Oil on Troubled Waters. 2003. https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-apr-2003-western-sahara-oil-on-troubled-waters.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Western Sahara - Oil on Troubled Waters |date=1 April 2003 |url=https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-apr-2003-western-sahara-oil-on-troubled-waters |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2003western, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Western Sahara - Oil on Troubled Waters}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2003}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-apr-2003-western-sahara-oil-on-troubled-waters}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }