Political status of Western Sahara

Western Sahara, formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara, is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front. It is listed by the United Nations (UN), as a non-decolonized territory and is thus included in the United Nations List of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Since the Madrid Accords of 1975, a part of Western Sahara has been administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces. Another section, the Liberated Territories, is administered by the Polisario Front as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Mauritania administers temporally the western half of the Ras Nouadhibou Peninsula. A UN-monitored cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991.

In order to resolve the sovereignty issue, the UN has attempted to hold a referendum through the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and is holding direct talks between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front. The UN recognizes neither Moroccan nor SADR sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Positions of the main parties

Kingdom of Morocco

The official position of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1963 is that all of Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom. The Moroccan government refers to Western Sahara only as the "Sahara", "Moroccan Sahara", "Saharan provinces", or the "Southern Provinces".

According to the Moroccan government, in 1958 the Moroccan Army of Liberation fought Spanish colonizers and almost liberated what was then Spanish Sahara. The fathers of many of the Polisario leaders were among the veterans of the Moroccan Southern Army, for example the father of Polisario leader Mohammed Abdelaziz. Morocco is supported in this view by a number of former Polisario founders and leaders. The Polisario Front is considered by Morocco to be a Moroccan separatist movement, referring to the Moroccan origins of most of its founding members, and its self-proclaimed SADR to be a puppet state used by Algeria to fight a proxy war against Morocco.

Polisario Front / self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

President of the SADR, Mohamed Abdelaziz

The Polisario Front is described by itself and its supporters as a national liberation movement that opposes Moroccan control of Western Sahara, whilst it is considered by Morocco and supporters of Morocco's claims over the Western Sahara to be a separatist organisation. It began as a movement of students who felt torn between the divergent Spanish and Moroccan influences on the country. The original goal of the Polisario, which was to end Spanish colonialism in the region, was achieved, but their neighbours, Morocco and Mauritania, seized sovereignty of the region, which the Polisario felt belonged to it. The Polisario engaged in guerrilla warfare with the Moroccan and Mauritanian forces. It evacuated the Sahrawi population to the Tindouf refugee camps due to Royal Moroccan Air Force bombing of the refugee camps on Sahrawi land with napalm and white phosphorus.

The Polisario Front has called for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara to be decided through a referendum. Although the SADR is not recognised as a state by the UN, the Polisario is considered a direct participant in the conflict and as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, recognized by the United Nations since 1979.

The Polisario Front argues that Morocco's position is due to economical interests (fishing, phosphate mining, and the potential for oil reserves) and political reasons (stability of the king's position and the governing elite in Morocco, deployment of most of the Moroccan Army in Western Sahara instead of in Morocco). The Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Bir Lehlou (Western Sahara), on 27 February 1976.

Mauritania

Claims on Western Sahara had proliferated since the 1960s, fuelled by Mauritanian President Moktar Ould Daddah. Before Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords and after the withdrawal of the last Spanish forces, in late 1975, the Mauritanian Army invaded the southern part of Western Sahara, while the Moroccan Army did the same in the north. In April 1976, Mauritania and Morocco partitioned the country into three parts, Mauritania getting the southern one, which was named Tiris al-Gharbiyya. Mauritania waged four years of war against Polisario guerrillas, conducting raids on Nouakchott, attacks on the Zouerate mine train and a coup d'état that deposed Ould Daddah. Mauritania finally withdrew in the summer of 1979, after signing the Argel Accord with the Polisario Front, recognizing the right of self-determination for the Sahrawi people, and renouncing any claims on Western Sahara. The Moroccan Army immediately took control of the former Mauritanian territory. Mauritania recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on 27 February 1984.

Algeria

Algeria has supported the independence of Western Sahara diplomatically since 1975 because of its own national liberation war. In 1976, Algeria got involved directly in the conflict, but after a military confrontation at Amgala against the Moroccan Army, Algeria's role became indirect, through political and military support for the Polisario Front. Morocco argues that the Algerian position is due to the 1963 Sand War, in which the two countries clashed. Algeria recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on 6 March 1976.

United Nations

A demonstration in Bilbao for the independence of the Western Sahara.

Western Sahara was first placed, by Moroccan demand, on the UN list of territories to be decolonized in 1965, when it was still a Spanish colony. It has retained that status due to the persistence of the conflict. The UN has been involved since 1988 in trying to find a solution to the conflict through self-determination. In 1988, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed to settle the dispute through a referendum under the auspices of the UN that would allow the people of Western Sahara to choose between independence or integration with Morocco. In 1991, a ceasefire was agreed upon between the parties, contingent on the referendum being held the following year. Due to disputes over voter qualification, the vote has still not been held, and Morocco has made it clear in 2000 that henceforth it will not consider any option leading to the independence of the territory, and instead, is now proposing autonomy within Morocco. Lately, the UN has argued for negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front to resolve the deadlock, culminating in the Manhasset negotiations.

Although Morocco claims that no recognition is required, Moroccan sovereignty over the territory is supported by the Arab League and by some other states as a policy of deliberate ambiguity.

Positions of other states

Further information: International recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Positions on the status of Western Sahara:

  Western Sahara

  Maintains diplomatic relations with or recognises the Sahrawi Republic

  Supports Morocco's territorial claim (including support for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty); Relations with the SADR terminated and/or recognition withdrawn (if no other position expressed) (if no other position expressed)

  Recognises the self-determination of the Sahrawi people, but does not recognize the SADR nor maintain diplomatic relations with it (if no other position expressed)

  Has not expressed any position or has expressed conflicting opinions

The following lists contain the following states and entities:

• 87 states, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union and the European Union (EU) support "the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people",
  • of these, 40 states do not recognize the Sahrawi Republic;
  • of these, 37 states recognize the Sahrawi Republic;
• 43 states support Moroccan claims on Western Sahara, but do not recognize its sovereignty over it.

Some states are on both lists; for example, when a state is supportive of the "right of self-determination", including the option of autonomy under Morocco sovereignty. Some states have changed their opinion frequently or have given separate announcements of support for both Morocco and the Polisario Front/SADR (Paraguay, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Peru, Russia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland).

Some of the states announcing support of the "right of self-determination" currently recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Not all of the states that have terminated diplomatic relations with or withdrawn recognition of the SADR have announced their support for the Moroccan claims.

Some states have not announced any position as of 2014.

States supporting Sahrawi claims on Western Sahara

States expressing support for SADR claims and/or the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination

In addition to the states that recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as a sovereign state, some other states, although not recognizing the SADR for various reasons, have expressed explicit support for the Polisario Front's position on the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people. Some states that do not recognize the Sahrawi Republic (neither as a state, nor as a government-in-exile) recognize the Polisario Front as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.

States which do not recognise the Sahrawi Republic

#	State	Notes	International membership
1	Algeria		African Union member Arab League member OIC member
2	Angola		African Union member
3	Argentina	In 1989, the Raul Alfonsín government made a compromise to recognize the independence of the Sahrawi Republic. In July 2010, the Argentine Chamber of Deputies registered a declaration project exhorting the Government of Argentina to recognize the SADR and to establish diplomatic relations with it.	UNASUR member
4	Australia	In November 2004, the Australian Senate called on the Australian government to recognize the Sahrawi Republic.
5	Austria		EU member
6	Belgium		EU member
7	Belize
8	Benin		African Union member OIC member
9	Bolivia		UNASUR member
10	Bosnia and Herzegovina
11	Botswana		African Union member
12	Brazil	The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies had presented in 2007, 2011 and 2014 several requests to the Brazilian government for the recognition of the Sahrawi Republic as a sovereign state.	UNASUR member
13	Burkina Faso		African Union member OIC member
14	Burma
15	Burundi		African Union member
16	Chad		African Union member OIC member
17	Chile	In late 1999, Juan Gabriel Valdés, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, made a written compromise to recognize the independence of the Sahrawi Republic. The Chilean Congress had repeatedly (September 1999, October 2007, July 2009, August 2010, April 2014) called on the Chilean government to recognize the Sahrawi Republic.	UNASUR member
18	People's Republic of China		permanent member of the UNSC
19	Costa Rica
20	Croatia		EU member
21	Cuba
22	Cyprus		EU member
23	Czech Republic		EU member
24	Denmark	In June 2004, the Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller said that they do not "recognise Moroccan sovereignty on Western Sahara", and considered the Moroccan presence in Western Sahara as "illegal" and "unacceptable". In 2011, Denmark has repeatedly voted "no" against EU fisheries in Western Sahara, saying that Denmark will vote "no" as long as the Moroccan government fails to give more information to Western Sahara. In April 2011, Foreign Minister of Denmark Lene Espersen said that Denmark doesn't consider recognizing the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, because it won't solve the conflict.	EU member
25	Dominica
26	Dominican Republic
27	East Timor
28	Ecuador		UNASUR member
29	Egypt		African Union member Arab League member OIC member
30	El Salvador
31	Ethiopia		African Union member
32	Fiji
33	Finland		EU member
34	Germany		EU member
35	Ghana		African Union member
36	Greece		EU member
37	Guatemala
38	Guinea-Bissau		African Union member
39	Guyana		OIC member UNASUR member
40	Haiti
41	Iceland
42	Indonesia		OIC member
43	Iran		OIC member
44	Ireland		EU member
45	Italy		EU member
46	Jamaica
47	Jordan		Arab League member OIC member
48	Kenya		African Union member
49	Lesotho		African Union member
50	Libya		African Union member Arab League member OIC member
51	Malawi		African Union member
52	Malaysia
53	Mali		African Union member OIC member
54	Mauritius		African Union member
55	Mexico
56	Mozambique		African Union member OIC member
57	Namibia		African Union member
58	New Zealand
59	Nicaragua
60	Nigeria		African Union member OIC member
61	Norway
62	Panama
63	Paraguay		UNASUR member
64	Peru		UNASUR member
65	Portugal		EU member
66	Republic of the Congo		African Union member
67	Russia		permanent member of the UNSC
68	Rwanda		African Union member
69	São Tomé and Príncipe		African Union member
70	Sierra Leone		African Union member
71	Slovakia		EU member
72	Slovenia		EU member
73	South Africa		African Union member
74	South Korea
—	South Ossetia
75	South Sudan		African Union member
76	Spain		EU member
77	Suriname		OIC member UNASUR member
78	Sweden	In November 2012, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swedish Parliament called on the Swedish government to recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). On 5 December, the Swedish Parliament send a notification to the Swedish Government asking for the urgent recognition of the SADR.	EU member
79	Switzerland
80	Tanzania		African Union member
81	Trinidad and Tobago
82	Tunisia		African Union member Arab League member OIC member
83	Uganda		African Union member OIC member
84	Ukraine
85	United Kingdom		permanent member of the UNSC EU member
86	Uruguay		UNASUR member
87	Venezuela		UNASUR member
88	Vietnam
89	Zambia		African Union member
90	Zimbabwe		African Union member

States supporting Moroccan claims on Western Sahara

States expressing support for Moroccan claims and/or the Moroccan autonomy plan.

No state formally recognizes the sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara, although many states have expressed support for Moroccan claims, or endorsed the Moroccan autonomy initiative for the territory. Several states have withdrawn their recognition of the SADR or canceled their relations with the SADR (close to 30 countries). A number of African countries and Caribbean or Pacific island-states have taken such action following Moroccan lobbying and offers of economic assistance, academic exchanges or other support.

However, some international organizations, such as the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, have recognized the sovereignty of Morocco over what it calls its Southern Provinces. Some UN member states have expressed explicit support of Morocco's territorial integrity in reference to Western Sahara as Moroccan provinces, while others have endorsed or complemented the Moroccan proposal of autonomy for the territory as being credible and serious. No country, apart from Morocco itself, formally has recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Morocco's historical allies, France and the United States, have provided the kingdom with economic, diplomatic, and military aid, throughout the conflict. Saudi Arabia provided much economic aid as well.

China (PRC)

Morocco and the PRC maintain close relations, that have been improving steadily in the past decades. China has shown strong support for Morocco's territorial integrity, and has welcomed the proposals put forth by Morocco in the peace negotiations.

France

France enjoys close relations with Morocco. It is the kingdom's leading trade partner and the leading source of public development aid and private investments. The country claims neutrality on the Western Sahara issue, despite its military involvement in the Western Sahara War on the side of Morocco and Mauritania (see Operation Lamantin). In 2009 and 2010, France used the threat of its veto power to block the establishment of Human Rights monitoring by the MINURSO in Western Sahara. France has been a major backer of the Moroccan autonomy plan and in the EU negotiated the concession of the advanced status to Morocco.

United States

Main article: Morocco – United States relations § American policy on Western Sahara conflict

Photo of Former Assistant Secretary of State, David Welch (2005–2008) who in 2007 expressed strong support for Morocco and its autonomy plan in the conflict over Western Sahara, calling the plan a "serious and credible" solution.

Former President Bill Clinton set a precedent on the conflict over Western Sahara which his successor, George W. Bush, followed. Both presidents Clinton and Bush sided with Morocco and maintained the position that "Genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty [is] the only feasible solution."

The Obama administration disassociated itself from Moroccan autonomy in 2009, however, reversing the Bush-backed support of the Moroccan plan, and returning to a pre-Bush position, wherein the option of an independent Western Sahara is on the table again.

In April 2009, 229 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, a clear majority and more than 50 more than the number who signed the letter in 2007, called on President Obama to support Morocco's autonomy plan and to assist in drawing the conflict to a close. The signers included Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Republican Minority Leader John Boehner. In addition to acknowledging that Western Sahara has become a recruiting post for radical Islamists, the letter affirmed that the conflict is "the single greatest obstacle impending the security and cooperation necessary to combat" terrorism in the Maghreb. The letter referenced UN Security Council Resolution 1813 (2008), and encouraged President Obama to follow the policy set by President Clinton and followed by President Bush. The congressmen expressed concerns about Western Sahara's viability. They referenced a UN fact-finding mission to Western Sahara which confirmed the State Department's view that the Polisario proposal, which ultimately stands for independence, would lead to a non-viable state. In closing, the letter stated, "We remain convinced that the U.S. position, favoring autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution. We urge you to both sustain this longstanding policy, and to make clear, in both words and actions, that the United States will work to ensure that the UN process continues to support this framework as the only realistic compromise that can bring this unfortunate and longstanding conflict to an end." Commenting on a 2004 free trade agreement with Morocco, US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick stated in a letter to Congressman Joe Pitts in response to his questioning, "the United States and many other countries do not recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and have consistently urged the parties to work with the United Nations to resolve the conflict by peaceful means. The Free Trade Agreement will not include Western Sahara."

Photo of Former US Ambassador to Morocco, Samuel L. Kaplan (2009–2013) who in April 2013 expressed that the position of the United States is that Morocco's autonomy plan "can't be the only basis in these negotiations".

In April 2013, the United States proposed that MINURSO monitored human rights (as all the other UN mission since 1991) in Western Sahara and the Sahrawi refugee camps in south-western Algeria, a move that Morocco strongly opposed, cancelling the annual African Lion military exercises with US Army troops. Also in mid-April, United States Ambassador to Morocco Samuel L. Kaplan declared during a conference in Casablanca that the Moroccan autonomy plan "can't be the only basis in these negotiations", referring to the UN sponsored talks between the Polisario Front and Morocco.

States which recognize the Sahrawi Republic

#	State	Notes	References
1	Azerbaijan
2	Bahrain
3	Benin
4	Belarus
5	Bulgaria	EU member
6	Burkina Faso
7	Cameroon
8	Central African Republic
9	Chile
10	Cambodia
11	Colombia
12	Comoros
13	Democratic Republic of Congo
14	Djibouti
15	Dominican Republic
16	Equatorial Guinea
17	Hungary	EU member
18	Indonesia
19	France	permanent member of UNSC EU member
20	Gabon
21	Gambia
22	Guinea
23	Kuwait	Arab league member
24	Macedonia
25	Madagascar
26	Maldives
27	Nauru
28	Netherlands	EU member
29	Niger
30	Peru
31	Poland	EU member
32	Romania	EU member
33	Russia	permanent member of UNSC
34	Saudi Arabia	Arab league member
35	Senegal
36	Serbia
37	Seychelles
38	Sudan	Arab league member
39	Swaziland
40	Turkey
41	United States	permanent member of UNSC
42	Yemen	Arab league member

States which have not announced any position

The following states and entities have not announced any position:

• Americas: Bahamas
• Africa: Eritrea, Somalia
• Europe: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Vatican City, Malta, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Armenia
• Asia: Israel, Lebanon, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, Mongolia
• Oceania: Tonga, Cook Islands, Samoa, Niue, Palau, Micronesia, Marshall Islands
• Others: Abkhazia, Republic of China (Taiwan), Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, Transnistria
• Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Positions of international organizations

Organization	Membership	Position
African Union (Formerly OAU)	22 February 1982	The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a fully recognised AU founding member. The African Union supports the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
Andean Community of Nations	26 October 2011 (Observer)	The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is an Observer member in the framework of the Andean Parliament.
Arab League	Not a member.	The Arab League supports the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
Arab Maghreb Union	Not a member.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)	Not a member.	The CARICOM supports the right of the Western Sahara people's to self-determination, consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States	Not a member.	The CELAC supports efforts by all parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that would provide for the right of self-determination for the inhabitants.
European Union	Not a member.	The EU supports the efforts by the Secretary General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution which will allow the self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara as provided for in the resolutions of the United Nations.
Non-Aligned Movement	Not a member.	The NAM supports the right of the Western Sahara people's to self-determination, consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation	Not a member.	Considered as part of Morocco.
Rio Group	Not a member.	The Rio Group supports the resolutions adopted by the UN to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution that leads to the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in the context of compatible accords with the principles of the UN charter and the Resolution 1514 (XV) of the General Assembly and other pertinent resolutions.
Union of South American Nations	Not a member.	The UNASUR supports for the achievement of a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that would provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara consistent with relevant resolutions.
United Nations	Not a member.	The UN does not recognize Moroccan claims, as the Western Sahara remains in its List of Non-Self-Governing Territories since 1963. The Security Council had argued for direct negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front. It had approved more than 100 resolutions supporting the right of Self-determination of the Sahrawi people.

The SADR is also a member of the Asian-African Strategic Partnership, formed at the 2005 Asian-African Conference, over Moroccan objections to SADR participation.

In 2006, the SADR participated in a conference of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of the Latin American and the Caribbean.

In 2010, the SADR ambassador to Nicaragua participated in the opening conference of the Central American Parliament

African Union

In 22 February 1982, the SADR secured membership in the Organisation of African Unity.

The African Union (formerly the OAU) has given the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic full recognition, and accepted it as a member state (which has led Morocco to leave the union.). Mohamed Abdelaziz, president of the SADR, has been vicepresident of the OUA in 1985, and of the AU in 2002.

European Union

The European Union supports the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people (the MINURSO UN-sponsored referendum), but does not recognize the Polisario Front. Over practical issues such as fishing in the EEZ the EU deals with Morocco as the country currently exercising "jurisdiction, but not sovereignty" over the Western Sahara territory. In addition, members of the EFTA trade bloc have made statements excluding the Western Sahara from the Moroccan-EFTA free trade agreement.

United Nations

Since 1966, the United Nations request for the celebration of a referendum for enabling the "indigenous population" to exercise freely their right to self-determination. Since 1979, the United Nations has recognized the Polisario Front as the representative of the people of Western Sahara, and considered Morocco as an occupying force.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed, in his last report on Western Sahara, to the Security Council:

"The Security Council would not be able to invite parties to negotiate about Western Saharan autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, for such wording would imply recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, which was out of the question as long as no States Member of the United Nations had recognized that sovereignty". Spain is still considered as the administrative power, but Morocco however is the de facto administrating power since it controls most of the territory."

See also

• Foreign relations of Morocco
• Foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• Polisario Front
• List of states with limited recognition

References

Bibliography

• Hodges, Tony. Western Sahara: Roots of a Desert War, Lawrence Hill & Company, 1983, ISBN 0-88208-152-7, p. 308
• Hodges, Tony, and Pazzanita, Anthony. Historical Dictionary of Western Sahara, 2 ed., Scarecrow Press, 1994, ISBN 0-8108-2661-5, pp. 378–379.

External links

Tables of states recognizing the SADR

• World Statesmen
• Western Sahara On-line
• The SADR (Spanish)
• Lasonet.com (Spanish)
• Friends of the Sahara (Spanish)
• The Association for a Free and Fair Referendum in Western Saharade:Internationale Anerkennung der Demokratischen Arabischen Republik Sahara