Sahrawis celebrate the news from the Court of Justice of the EU in the Smara refugee camp in southwestern Algeria (Photo credit: Frank Elbers)

The Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Movement for an Independent Western Sahara Is Gaining Momentum

On February 27, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that a fisheries agreement between Morocco and the European Union is not applicable to Western Sahara, which Morocco has occupied since the former colonial power Spain withdrew in 1975. The ruling followed a decision by a court in South Africa earlier that month, holding that 50,000 tonnes of phosphate mined in Western Sahara was illegally sold by the Moroccan government. Both court cases were initiated by civil society organizations that are part of a growing international solidarity movement for the Sahrawi cause. Is this boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for an independent Western Sahara, often called Africa’s last colony, finally gaining traction?

Read full article in Muftah Magazine.

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