Shaheed El-Hafed, 17 August 2026 (SPS) – The Association for the Monitoring of Resources and Environmental Protection in Western Sahara (AREN) has strongly condemned the resumption and expansion of fishing activities in the waters and along the coasts of Western Sahara.
In a statement issued Monday, AREN denounced the fact that this exploitation is being carried out without the consent of the Sahrawi people and without respecting its right to self-determination and permanent sovereignty over its natural resources.
According to information documented by the Association through its sources and its monitoring of vessel movements at the occupied port of Dakhla, the Russian vessel Saronic Breeze has docked at the port of Dakhla alongside the Russian fishing vessel Vasiliy Lozovskiy. This comes amid the return, in recent weeks, of several Russian fishing vessels to Sahrawi territorial waters.
AREN considers the return and continued presence of these vessels a matter of concern, given Western Sahara’s unresolved international legal status as a Non-Self-Governing Territory pending decolonization, as well as the complete absence of the consent of the Sahrawi people.
The Association stressed that Sahrawi fishery resources cannot be regarded as resources open to foreign commercial exploitation, and that their exploitation must respect the right of the Sahrawi people to freely decide how its resources and wealth are used.
The continuation of these activities, the statement added, contributes to consolidating an economic system in which the territory’s natural resources generate benefits for external actors, while the Sahrawi people remains excluded from decisions concerning its own resources.
In light of this situation, AREN calls for:
The immediate cessation of all exploitation of Western Sahara’s fishery resources carried out without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
An independent and transparent investigation into the activities of Russian vessels operating in Western Sahara, including their fishing activities, port calls, landings, and the destination of their catches.
Full transparency regarding the companies owning and operating these vessels, their contractual agreements, the beneficiaries of the catches, and the commercial entities involved.
Full respect for international law and the principles protecting the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and their natural resources, as well as relevant international judicial decisions concerning Western Sahara.
Accountability for companies, vessels, and other actors that benefit from or facilitate such exploitation.
The termination of all commercial and logistical agreements and mechanisms that facilitate the exploitation of Sahrawi natural resources without the consent of their legitimate people.
AREN reaffirmed that it would continue documenting and denouncing all mechanisms through which Western Sahara’s natural resources are exploited, stressing that “Western Sahara’s resources are not booty, its waters are not open to foreign exploitation, and the resources of the Sahrawi people are not a commodity for negotiation.”
The Association concluded that any legitimate and sustainable use of the territory’s natural resources must respect the free and genuine consent of the Sahrawi people and serve their interests, rather than those of foreign powers and companies.
