La explotación de hidrocarburos en el Sáhara Occidental | Zenodo Skip to main Communities My dashboard Log in Sign up CODESEL Published April 1, 2026 | Version v1 Journal article Open La explotación de hidrocarburos en el Sáhara Occidental Authors/Creators Fernandez González, Javier (Researcher) 1 Show affiliations 1.
Academia General Militar Description LEGAL REVIEW Fernández González, Javier. “La explotación de hidrocarburos en el Sáhara Occidental.” Boletín CODESEL , vol. 2, no. 8, April 2026, ISSN-e: 3045-7750. The article “Hydrocarbon Exploitation in Western Sahara” offers a structured and legally grounded examination of one of the most complex intersections between international economic activity, territorial disputes, and the law of occupation. Situated at the crossroads of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the law of self-determination, and the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources, the study provides a clear analytical framework to assess the legality of resource exploitation in contested territories. The author begins with a technically informed overview of the hydrocarbon industry, emphasizing the structural dependency on capital-intensive infrastructure, transnational investment, and logistical networks. As illustrated in the offshore platform depicted on page 1, extraction activities are inseparable from broader industrial and geopolitical systems. This introductory section is particularly effective in grounding the legal analysis within the material realities of resource exploitation, thereby avoiding purely abstract reasoning. The core legal argument emerges in the second section, where the author examines the normative constraints applicable to occupied territories. Drawing on Article 55 of the 1907 Hague Regulations, the study correctly characterizes the occupying power as a mere administrator and usufructuary of the territory’s resources, lacking sovereign entitlement. This interpretation is reinforced through reference to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, which prohibit pillage and impose obligations to protect the civilian population. The invocation of UN General Assembly Resolution 1803 (XVII) further strengthens the argument by situating resource sovereignty within the broader doctrine of peoples’ rights, thereby linking IHL with the law of decolonization. A particularly valuable contribution lies in the application of these principles to the specific case of Western Sahara. The article demonstrates that Morocco’s position as a de facto occupying power does not confer legal sovereignty over the territory or its resources. The continued absence of a self-determination referendum—supervised by MINURSO—reinforces the provisional and contested nature of Moroccan authority. The geopolitical map on page 3, which visually integrates resource zones, sovereignty claims, and UN deployment, effectively illustrates the fragmentation of control and the strategic importance of hydrocarbon prospects in shaping political positions. The discussion of the Abraham Accords introduces a critical geopolitical dimension to the legal analysis. By highlighting the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty by the United States and Israel, the author exposes the tension between unilateral political recognition and the multilateral legal framework established by the United Nations. This section is particularly insightful, as it demonstrates how shifts in diplomatic alignments can indirectly affect the legal interpretation of resource exploitation without formally altering the applicable normative regime. From a legal standpoint, one of the most compelling elements of the article is the reference to the 2002 UN legal opinion, which explicitly conditions the legality of resource exploitation on the consent and benefit of the local population. This principle—widely accepted in international practice—serves as the decisive معيار (criterion) for assessing the lawfulness of economic activities in non-self-governing territories. The author convincingly argues that any exploitation conducted without such consent risks violating international law, regardless of bilateral agreements between the occupying power and private corporations. The empirical section detailing corporate involvement—Kosmos Energy, Cairn (Capricorn Energy), Chevron, and others—adds significant practical value to the study. The analysis of exploration activities, particularly in offshore blocks such as Boujdour Atlantique and Dakhla Atlantique (page 5), illustrates how multinational corporations operate within legally ambiguous environments. The fact that most projects remain in the exploration phase, with no confirmed commercially viable reserves, underscores both the economic uncertainty and the legal risk associated with such ventures. This article represents a well-structured and analytically robust contribution to the study of resource exploitation in occupied territories. By integrating doctrinal analysis, geopolitical context, and empirical data, it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the legal constraints governing hydrocarbon activities in Western Sahara. Its central thesis—that Morocco’s actions are legally limited by the principles of usufruct, self-determination, and the consent of the Sahrawi people—is convincingly supported and of clear relevance for both legal scholarship and policy debates. Files FERNANDEZ_GONZALEZ_La_explotacion_de_hidrocarburos_en_el_Sahara_Occidental_CODESEL_Boletin_2026_8.pdf Files (476.4 kB) Name Size Download all FERNANDEZ_GONZALEZ_La_explotacion_de_hidrocarburos_en_el_Sahara_Occidental_CODESEL_Boletin_2026_8.pdf md5:70dfd4999c2fb37113aa797f1e2bc14e 476.4 kB Preview Download 21 Views 19 Downloads Show more details All versions This version Views Total views 21 21 Downloads Total downloads 19 19 Data volume Total data volume 10.5 MB 10.5 MB More info on how stats are collected.... Versions External resources Indexed in OpenAIRE Communities Keywords and subjects Keywords Occupied territories Sovereignty Territorial disputes International institutions Conflict resources Jurisprudence Accountability Risk Assessment Conflict studies Legal analysis Territorial sovereignty EuroSciVoc Natural resources management International law Ethics GEMET International law Public international law Energy policy Resource exploitation Environmental governance Ethics MeSH Natural Resources International Law Public Policy Public Policy/legislation & jurisprudence Internationality Internationality/legislation & jurisprudence Decision Making Ethics Economic Factors Government Regulation Details DOI DOI Badge DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19678769 Markdown [](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678769) reStructuredText .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19678769.svg :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678769 HTML <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678769"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19678769.svg" alt="DOI"></a> Image URL https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19678769.svg Target URL https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678769 Resource type Journal article Publisher CODESEL Published in Boletín CODESEL, 2(8), 18-22, ISSN: 3045-7750, 2026. Languages Spanish Rights License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited. Read more Citation Export Technical metadata Created April 21, 2026 Modified April 21, 2026 Jump up About About Policies Infrastructure Principles Projects Roadmap Contact Blog Blog Support Help FAQ Developers REST API OAI-PMH Contribute GitHub Donate Funded by Powered by CERN Data Centre & InvenioRDM Status Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms of Use This site uses cookies. Find out more on how we use cookies Accept all cookies Accept only essential cookies