After Spain’s withdrawal in the 1970s, Morocco and Mauritania divided Western Sahara, sparking decades of war and exile. Yahia Mahmoud noted in his research that “it’s amazing that despite the geopolitical interests of France, Spain and the United States, Western Sahara’s claim to self-determination has survived for 50 years.”
The lecture detailed how Morocco’s control has turned Western Sahara into a hub for phosphate mining, large-scale fishing, and more recently renewable energy projects. While officially framed as progress, these ventures often bypass international law. “The big narratives about sustainability and the planet’s future are being used to justify control over occupied territories,” Yahia Mahmoud argued, drawing parallels with Israel’s use of renewable projects in the Golan Heights.
Don’t miss next CMES-seminar: It’s Time to Think About the Future of Palestine\Israel
Presentation by Rami Nasrallah and Haim Yacobi, University College London.
- Day: 20 November
- Time: 13:15 to 15:00.
- Where: CMES, Finngatan 16, Lund.