Chahid ElHafed (Saharawi Refugee Camps) 24 July 2026 (SPS) – The Sahrawi Working Group on Natural Resources and Related Legal Issues held a consultative meeting today, Friday, at the Presidential Headquarters in Chahid El-Hafed. The meeting brought together group members with a number of international experts, lawyers, and solidarity activists specializing in Western Sahara natural resource files.
The meeting was chaired by the head of the group, Amb. Oubi Bouchraya Bachir, in the presence of group members alongside lawyers, solidarity figures, and activists from Spain, France, and Norway who have been monitoring the different legal and human rights proceedings regarding the protection of the Sahrawi people’s natural resources for years.
The meeting served as an opportunity to review key developments related to litigation pathways before European and African courts. Participants discussed the major legal gains achieved in recent years, the ongoing challenges facing efforts to protect the Sahrawi people's sovereign rights over their natural resources, and ways to enhance coordination among various legal actors and international supporters.
Additionally, the meeting examined several files and issues that the group intends to work on in the upcoming phase, within the framework of a legal strategy aimed at expanding legal accountability regarding the illegal exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara, and reinforcing efforts to ensure respect for international law and the inalienable rights of the Sahrawi people.
This meeting comes as part of a series of gatherings and activities organized by the Group with the goal of strengthening coordination with international experts and partners and developing legal action mechanisms to defend the permanent sovereignty of the Sahrawi people over their natural resources.
Yesterday, Thursday, the group held an internal meeting restricted to its members at the Presidential Headquarters to evaluate the accomplishments of the past year's work program and discuss the details of the action plan of the current year.
The group will organize a Conference on natural resources in Western Sahara, Tomorrow, Saturday, at the Presidential Headquarters in Chahid El-Hafed, under the title: "Permanent Sovereignty Over Natural Resources and the Judicial Battle." International legal experts and representatives of solidarity organizations will participate to discuss legal avenues to safeguard the Sahrawi people's right to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.
This event will mark an important milestone for reviewing the latest legal and judicial developments regarding Western Sahara's natural resources. It will also serve as a platform to exchange expertise and perspectives on effective mechanisms to strengthen the protection of the Sahrawi people's inalienable rights to their resources, in light of international law provisions and relevant rulings by international and regional bodies and courts.
Participants will address several key themes, including: strengthening the litigation battle by developing mechanisms to monitor and track the exploitation and plundering of natural resources; prospects for legal and diplomatic advocacy at the international and African levels; and the responsibility of foreign states and companies involved in exploiting natural resources in the occupied Sahrawi territories, along with the legal implications of their activities under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. (SPS)
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