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The list of industrial groups standing firm against pressure from Polisario allies is growing with the arrival of the Finnish company Wärtsilä in Western Sahara. The company has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining its partnership with the National Office of Electricity and Water (ONEE), sparking the ire of the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW), an NGO aligned with the Polisario.
In July 2024, the Finnish group signed a five-year contract with ONEE for the maintenance of power plants in Tan-Tan and Dakhla. Wärtsilä responded to calls for withdrawal from the region, stating, «Dakhla is located in a territory entirely controlled and administered by Moroccan authorities, far from any potential conflict zones». The company further emphasized that its management had reviewed recent statements from certain countries and concluded that progress is being made regarding the geopolitical situation.
Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio visited Morocco from April 25 to 28, shortly after the arrival of the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki on April 23.
Finland considers Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara as «a good basis for a solution» to the regional dispute. This position was expressed in August 2024 in Helsinki by Minister Elina Valtonen during a meeting with her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
Last week, a senior Polisario official explicitly threatened «foreign tourists and investors» traveling to the Sahara.
