In a letter on Monday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Polisario Front Secretary-General Mohamed Abdelaziz accused the Dallas-based explorer of pillaging resources belonging to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and refuted the company’s claims of the legality of its operations.

Kosmos spudded the Al Khayr-1 wildcat on the Cap Boujdour block in the Aaiun basin in mid-December, using the Atwood Oceanic’s-owned newbuild drillship Atwood Achiever.