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Equinor, a Norwegian energy company founded in 1972, said it «regrets having exported a shipment of natural gas» to the Sahara.
«We can confirm that Equinor sold a shipment of butane gas to the company Gulf Petrochem (GP). This cargo was sold by GP to a customer and was delivered to Laayoune, and we transported it», wrote Equinor spokesperson Eskil Eriksen in an email sent to Norwegian daily Dagsavisen.
Eriksen said that «this is the first time» that the Norwegian company has sold a cargo with a delivery to Laayoune. «This happened despite the fact that Norway does not advise Norwegian businesses to operate» in this area, the newspaper continues.
This news pleases a pro-Polisario association, having waged a campaign to force Equinor to recognize this export and to apologize. Indeed, on April 24, the «Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara» sent a letter to the Norwegian company asking for explanations, reports pro-Polisario NGO Western Sahara Resources Watch (WSRW).
On April 25, another letter was sent to the company by the same committee, while a third was sent to Stealth Corp, the operator of the ship that transported the cargo.
Through its NGOs based abroad, the Polisario continues to bet on the natural resources card. A few days ago, WSRW asked the New Zealand government to force its companies to no longer import phosphate from the Sahara. A request denied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters.
