Brussels (Belgium), August 8, 2025 (SPS) – The International Observatory for Monitoring Western Sahara Resources called on relevant parties, including the European Union, to take "strict" measures to ensure respect for international law and human rights in the occupied Sahrawi territories, as well as to protect the Sahrawi people's rights to their resources.
In a report published on its official website, the Observatory stated that several companies trading in fishery products originating from occupied Western Sahara continue to introduce these products into the European market, despite the rulings of the European Court of Justice issued on October 4, 2024, which prohibit such actions. It added that these companies "market their products with the IFS Food logo (International Featured Standard for Food), which is supposed to guarantee product integrity and safety, indicating potential consumer deception."
The Observatory noted that it had obtained a copy of an IFS Food certificate issued by a Moroccan company "containing falsified information about the country of origin, clearly written on the document itself." It explained that this act "raises serious concerns about the possibility of systematic fraud in the quality certifications of these products."
At the same time, the report pointed out that IFS Food has not responded to the Observatory’s inquiries, "deepening the crisis." It emphasized that "IFS Food’s failure to investigate whether the Sahrawi people have consented to granting these certificates to Moroccan companies operating in occupied Western Sahara or to foreign companies importing products from the region reflects a grave neglect of the ethical and legal responsibilities expected from certification bodies."
Through this report, the Observatory highlighted that the continued violation of the Sahrawi people's rights through the exploitation of their natural resources without their consent, along with the indifference of international certification bodies, constitutes "implicit support for Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara." It called on concerned parties, including the European Union, to take "strict" measures to ensure compliance with international law and human rights and to protect the Sahrawi people's rights to their resources.
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