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Plunder and pillaging of the Saharawi phosphate by Morocco.

At 100km North West offshore Western Sahara, and the same distance south-west of Laauin, the 250km squares Boukraa phosphate was discovered by the Spaniard Manuel Alia Medina in 1945, but the first stocktaking was made in 1962 revealing the importance of its deposit reserves. [3.4]

The ore lies in three levels of few meters thick sedimentary layer, which make it therefore reachable. Its high P2O5 concentration makes it different from other phosphate ores. It varies depending on authors, but all agree on its economic importance. For Hodges, (Tony Hodges, Historic dictionary of Western Sahara, The Scares crew Press, Inc, London, 1982) it is the world most concentrated phosphate. They also admitted its low extraction expenses and its potential reserves estimated of 10 billions tones distributed in 5 zones, Boukraa being the principal one with reserves evaluated by 1,715 billion tones [3].

The intervention of various foreign companies was needed for the extraction of the Western Sahara mineral, such as the German Krupp for the construction of the plants which consisted of: a grinding workshop, enrichment factory, a 97km long conveyer belt consisting of 11 stations with an estimated room for 2000 tones per hour being so the world longest one and which serves to carry the phosphate from Boukraa to Aauin.

As it’s clear, the phosphate is useful for many industries, mainly the elaboration of chemical phosphoric elements, phosphoric acid, mining, military, medicine, food industry, textile, and ceramics. Besides that phosphate is mostly used in the production of fertilizers to increase the crops, it is a source of extraction of some rare metals and radioactive elements. Among those elements are the two sides of the uranium product which can be obtained during the transformation of the phosphate fertilizers or the phosphoric acid. The Sahara phosphate contains 200grams of uranium per ton [5].

Since the occupation of Western Sahara, the aim of the occupying power has always been the wide exploitation of its natural resources, particularly the Boukraa´s ores to get full control of the phosphate fertilizers market which are the cornerstone of many countries economies, mainly those depending on agriculture.

Morocco endeavours to use its position as nearly monopoly in an attempt to exert pressure on countries dealing with phosphate to influence on their politics in the Western Sahara conflict.

Throughout 30 years, ignoring the international law, Morocco appropriated a wealth, phosphates, which are not his, but a property of the Saharawi people.

Morocco exported millions tones of Boukraa deposit. Except in the 80, 81 and 82 when the conveyor belt was paralyzed by the Saharawi army raids, the exploitation of the country wealth has been unchanging.

In 1976, 173.000 tones stocktaking was made, whereas in 2006, the exportation reached the 3.125.000 tones, (as comparison) [1].

* Facts on the “Moroccan” phosphate

1-      World reserves of phosphate:

(Numbers in billion tones)

www.usgs.gov . Source (United States Geological Service 2001).

2-      World exportations of crude phosphate:

(Numbers in millions tones)

Sources: World Markets, economy, Paris, 2001) Numbers in millions tones.

3-    Moroccan exportation of crude phosphate:

(Numbers in millions tones)

Sources: BANK AL-MAGHREB  Bulletin Trimestriel Déc.2007-N 114.

4-      Countries importing Moroccan phosphate:

(Numbers in millions tones y millions de Dollars)

Sources: www.ocpgroup.ma 2001.

5-      Countries importers of Moroccan Phosphoric Acid and fertilizers:

(Numbers in millions tones y millions de Dollars)

Sources: www.ocpgroup.ma 2000

Since the first three months of 2008, the phosphate ton that did not exceed the 60 dollars during many years has reached a new level of 400 dollars [6].

This rise of prices is due to the great competition on phosphate and its products used for agricultural needs and mainly since the unexpected price rising of raw material, fuel and the recourse in the evolution of bio fuel production cultures.

This implies that, with the current phosphate prices, The Moroccan government earns about 1.2 billions dollars annually of this illegal industry in the occupied territory. The last three year, the Boukraa assembly production has been around 3 millions tons [6].

If since the occupation of Western Sahara in 1975, the current total turnover exported phosphate prices are relevant (an annual average production is estimated for 2 millions tons) the quantity could rise to around 25, 6 billions dollars loss of the Saharawi people [6].

According to the Central bank of Morocco, Bank AL-Maghreib, the total of the Moroccan kingdom exportations during the first three months of 2008 had gone up to 7.7%.

11.4 out of the 11, 8 billions earned from the exportations sector, are generated from the phosphate, that is to say, nearly 97% of the total [9].

In the field of the human resources, the injustice, the discrimination and the deprival undergone by the Saharawi workers, is obvious through that the Saharawi employees who work for the Boukraa phosphate company in the moment of the Spanish withdrawal were 721 employees, nowadays are less than 160, all the rest are Moroccan settlers [1]

Besides this, and in order to freeze the rights acquired by the Saharawi workers, the Moroccan authorities proceeded to intimidations (detentions, forced disappearances, en the working places of those who reacted). War context was used to deprive them from their rights under pretext of security.

These data besides the bad conditions which suffer the Saharawis within the occupied zones, such as the unemployment, the rise in prices and the discrimination show a continuation, something that proves the contradiction in the Moroccan proposal to improve the standard of living of Western Sahara inhabitants, according to the official occupying power propaganda, which failed to create new jobs and open new perspectives and chances for the development of the local economy.

In reality, the first concern of Morocco is to reinforce its position as a leader in this mineral through the exploitation of the Saharawi phosphate deposit.

Finally: one thing is sure; Morocco can steal the Western Sahara wealth, but can’t steal the hearts of the Saharawis.

Bibliography

1-Conference of the Minister of the occupied territories and the Diaspora Sahrawi, Year 2007

2-Summary About the contractual rights of workers in Western Sahara Phosboucraa posts in doubt.

3-Aproxima to the economic structure in Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation, (Jose Miguel Alarcon Toledo and Javier Morillas Gomez), Year 2005

4 - History of the Spanish Sahara, Kayed Editions, Madrid (Jose Ramon Diego Aguirre), Year 1991

5 - Phosphates Sahrawi in the range of global companies, study of Dr. Salem Ali Muhammad Fadel) published in the website of the Union of Saharawi Journalists and Writers :www.ups.org, Year 2007

6 - Western Sahara Resource Watch: www.wsrw.org, Year 2008
7 - OCP Group www.ocpgroup.ma Year 2001

8 - Center for the Study and Investigation of Phosphates in Morocco, www.cerphos.

9 - Central Bank of Morocco "Bank Al-Maghrib.": www.bkam.ma, Year 2008

10 - Morocco industrialize and richer, but deficits and inequality, appearing in "Le Monde" edition of   10.08.2008 (Florence Beaugé: special envoy to Rabat)

Other Articles

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-Illiteracy in the Saharawi society

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