International recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

The conflict in the Western Sahara dates back to the early 1970s, when the indigenous Sahrawi Polisario Front sprang up an insurgency in Spanish Sahara, demanding an independent Sahrawi Republic.^[10] In 1957, the then-Spanish territory was claimed by Morocco, who declared independence a year before.^[11]

On 16 October 1975, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion that, while some Sahrawi tribes held allegiance to Morocco, found that there were not any ties of sovereignty, from Morocco or Mauritania, over the territory of Western Sahara. Moreover, the ICJ invoked the right of self-determination for Sahrawis through their free and genuine expression of such will.^[12] Morocco defied this advisory and staged a Green March across the Sahara.^[10]

The Polisario's insurgency and subsequent international pressure led Spain to withdraw from the region in 1975, Spain agreed to the partition of the territory between Morocco and Mauritania despite the ICJ Advisory Opinion.^[11]

In 1976, the Polisario Front declared a Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Bir Lahlou. In 1979, Mauritania gave up its claim to Western Sahara, which led to Morocco taking over the Mauritanian-controlled portion of the territory. Armed conflict continued to break out until a 1991 ceasefire.^[11]

Seeking to change the status quo, the Polisario Front blocked the Western Saharan city of Guerguerat, a key trade route between Morocco and Mauritania in 2020. This led to a Moroccan military operation and subsequently led to the 2020 Western Saharan clashes and prompted the Polisario Front to quit observing the 1991 ceasefire.^[11]

84 UN member states and South Ossetia either currently recognize the SADR or have recognized it in the past.^[13][14] Of these, a number of them have "suspended", "frozen" or "withdrawn" recognition. Morocco has intensively, and successfully, pressured states to withdraw or withhold recognition of the SADR.^[15]

Countries which have recognized the SADR as an independent state

The following lists the states that have recognized the SADR:

More information State, Diplomatic relations ...

State	Date of recognition[16][17]	Diplomatic relations[b]	Relevant membership, further details
Algeria	6 March 1976[18]	Yes	AU, Arab League, OIC; Algeria–SADR relations
Angola	11 March 1976[19]	Yes	AU Further details Recognized by the People's Republic of Angola.
Mozambique	13 March 1976[19]	Yes	AU, OIC Further details Recognized by the People's Republic of Mozambique.
North Korea	16 March 1976	Yes	—
Rwanda	1 April 1976[20]	Yes	AU
Panama[c]	23 July 1978	No	—, Panama–SADR relations Further details Recognition suspended 20 November 2013.[21] Resumed 7 January 2016.[22][23][24] Diplomatic relations suspended on 21 November 2024.[25]
Tanzania	9 November 1978	Yes	AU
Ethiopia	24 February 1979	Yes	AU Further details Recognized by the Derg
Vietnam	2 March 1979[26][27]	Yes	ASEAN Further details There was conflicting information on Vietnam's position. According to several Moroccan sources recognition was withdrawn in 2010 or earlier.[28][29][30][31] The latest source suggesting withdrawal of recognition is from June 2013.[32] However, a web page of the MFA of Vietnam still showed the SADR on a list of states with which Vietnam maintained diplomatic relations. This list was updated in May 2013, three years after they were originally purported to have withdrawn their recognition.[33] The situation has been clarified in May 2016, when Ambassador of Vietnam to the SADR was appointed.[34] The Vietnamese Government's Portal also shows the SADR as state with which Vietnam maintains diplomatic relations.[35]
Laos	9 May 1979	Yes	ASEAN
Ghana	24 August 1979	No	AU Further details Diplomatic relations frozen May 2001, resumed by 8 September 2011.[16] Diplomatic relations suspended on 7 January 2025.[36] African media reports have interpreted Ghana's endorsement of Morocco's autonomy plan in June 2025 as a withdrawal of recognition.[37][38]
Nicaragua[c]	6 September 1979	Yes	— Further details Recognition frozen 21 July 2000,[39] but diplomatic relations resumed 12 January 2007.[40]
Uganda	6 September 1979	Yes	AU, OIC
Mexico[c]	8 September 1979	Yes	—, Mexico–SADR relations
Lesotho	9 October 1979	Yes	AU Further details In a note to Morocco on 4 October 2019, Lesotho stated that it had decided to "suspend all statements and decisions related to the status of Western Sahara and 'SADR' pending the outcome of the United Nations Process".[41] On 8 October 2019 Lesotho sent a letter to SADR which reiterated its support to the SADR.[42] On 10 December 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister of Lesotho Lesego Calayl Makghoti stated that he could "confirm and clarify my country's position which is: a commitment to suspend all previous decisions and statements related to Western Sahara and 'SADR', pending the outcome of the United Nations process".[43] On 14 December 2019, Official Spokesperson of the Government of Lesotho, Mr. Thesele Maseribane stated that "the Kingdom of Lesotho has not changed its principled position on the Western Sahara issue based on the right of self-determination and that it maintains friendly diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi State" and that "any statements by persons in their individual capacity claim that they can change the position to compromise on this issue, these statements will be null and void".[44] On 2 July 2020, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Relations, ’Matšepo Ramakoae denying previous unilateral misrepresentations of that position last year and stated that "Lesotho will continue to maintain her principled position on Western Sahara and reiterates her support to the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic as an independent African Country coexisting side by side with the Kingdom of Morocco in peace and security".[45]
Cuba[c]	20 January 1980	Yes	—, Cuba–SADR relations
Iran	27 February 1980[46]	Yes[47]	OIC
Libya	15 April 1980	No	AU, Arab League, OIC Further details Recognized by the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
Botswana	14 May 1980	Yes	AU
Zimbabwe	3 June 1980[48]	Yes	AU
Costa Rica[c]	30 October 1980	No	— Further details Diplomatic relations were frozen 22 April 2000.[49] In 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an article by law professor Jorge Francisco Sáenz Carbonell that mentioned the SADR.[50][relevant?]
Vanuatu	26 November 1980[51][52]	Yes	— Further details Recognition withdrawn 24 November 2000,[53] diplomatic relations resumed 31 July 2008.[54]
Mauritius	1 July 1982	Yes	AU Further details Recognition withdrawn 17 January 2014,[55] but resumed 23 November 2015.[56]
Venezuela[c]	3 August 1982	Yes	—, SADR–Venezuela relations
Bolivia	14 December 1982[57]	No	— Further details Diplomatic relations suspended 20 January 2020,[58] resumed 16 September 2021,[59] and suspended again on 24 February 2026.[60]
Mauritania	27 February 1984	No	AU, Arab League, OIC
Peru	16 August 1984	No	—, Peru–SADR relations Further details Recognition frozen 9 September 1996,[61] diplomatic relations resumed 8 September 2021,[62][63] recognition withdrawn 18 August 2022,[64] President Pedro Castillo reconfirmed recognition 8 September 2022,[65] his successor Dina Boluarte froze diplomatic relations 9 September 2023.[66]
Nigeria	11 November 1984	Yes	AU, OIC; Nigeria–SADR relations
Colombia[c]	27 February 1985[67]	Yes	— Further details Relations frozen 20 December 2000,[68] resumed 10 August 2022.[69][70] Colombia's Senate passed a resolution in May 2014 stating that they "consider it important to recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic."[71]
Trinidad and Tobago	1 November 1986	No	—
Belize	18 November 1986	Yes	—
Namibia	11 June 1990[72]	Yes	AU
Timor-Leste	20 May 2002[73]	Yes	ASEAN
South Africa	15 September 2004[74][75][76][77]	Yes	AU; SADR–South Africa relations
Kenya	25 June 2005[74][78]	Yes[79]	AU; Kenya–SADR relations Further details Diplomatic relations temporally frozen 18 October 2006,[78][80] recognition frozen 26 June 2007,[81][82] then resumed 6 February 2014 or before.[83][84][when?] Kenya reiterated recognition 16 September 2022.[85][86] Kenya endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal in 2025 and 2026,[87][88] though it still maintains diplomatic relations with the SADR.[79]
Uruguay	26 December 2005[89][90][91]	Yes	—
South Sudan	9 July 2011[92]	Yes	AU Further details Recognition withdrawn 28 September 2018,[93] diplomatic relations resumed 20 September 2022.[94]

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Non-UN states

More information State, Date of recognition ...

State	Date of recognition	Diplomatic relations[b]	Relevant membership, further details
South Ossetia	27 February 2011[95]	No	—

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Countries which have recognized the SADR but have subsequently been reported to have withdrawn recognition

More information State, Date of ...

State	Date of		Relevant membership, further details
	Recognition[16][17]	Withdrawal
Madagascar	28 February 1976[96]	6 April 2005[97]	AU Further details Recognized by the Democratic Republic of Madagascar.
Burundi	1 March 1976[98][19]	5 May 2006[98]	AU
	16 June 2008[99]	25 October 2010[100]
Benin	11 March 1976[19][101]	21 March 1997[101]	AU, OIC
Guinea-Bissau	15 March 1976	2 April 1997[102]	AU, OIC
	26 May 2009[103]	30 March 2010[104][105][106]
Togo	17 March 1976	16 June 1997[107]	AU, OIC
Seychelles	25 October 1977[108]	17 March 2008[109][110][111]	AU
Congo	3 July 1978	13 September 1996[68]	AU Further details Recognized by the People's Republic of Congo.
São Tomé and Príncipe	22 July 1978	23 October 1996[68]	AU
Equatorial Guinea	3 November 1978	May 1980[68]	AU
Cambodia	10 April 1979	12 August 2006	ASEAN Further details Recognized by the People's Republic of Kampuchea.[112] In November 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation included the SADR in a list of states that have diplomatic relations with Cambodia.[113]
Afghanistan	23 May 1979	11 July 2002[114]	OIC Further details Recognized by the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
Cape Verde	4 June 1979[115]	27 July 2007[115]	AU Further details The Cape Verden President met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic on 6 February 2012,[116][117] but on 16 November 2019 Luis Felipe Tavarez, Cape Verde's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, reiterated the country's support for Morocco's claims of Western Sahara.[118]
Grenada	20 August 1979	11 August 2010[119][120][121]	—
Dominica	1 September 1979	22 July 2010[122]	—
Guyana	1 September 1979	14 November 2020[123][124]	OIC Further details As of 2023, the Guyanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs still includes the SADR in its undated "Countries With Which Guyana Has Established Diplomatic Relations" webpage.[125]
Saint Lucia	1 September 1979	21 March 1989[126][127]	—
Jamaica	6 September 1979	14 September 2016[128][129]	—
Zambia	12 October 1979[74]	29 March 2011[130][131][132]	AU Further details On 9 July 2016, Zambia's MFA was quoted as saying that it had again withdrawn recognition, a claim that was repeated by the official Moroccan news agency in February 2017, but the Zambian MFA put out a press release in February 2017 denying that it had withdrawn recognition.[133][134] In 2018, MFA of Zambia again officially reaffirmed that it had withdrawn recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.[135][136]
	21 November 2012[137]	2 March 2018[135][136]
Sierra Leone	27 March 1980	16 July 2003[138][139]	AU, OIC Further details In June 2011, Sierra Leonean president Ernest Bai Koroma met with the Sahrawi Ambassador to Nigeria to discuss bilateral relations.[140] Since then, Sierra Leone opened a consulate in Moroccan-occupied Dakhla and, as of 2025, recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.[141]
Eswatini	28 April 1980	4 July 1997[142]	AU
Chad	4 July 1980	9 May 1997[142][143][144]	AU, OIC Further details On 10 July 2007 Prime Minister of Chad Delwa Kassiré Koumakoye received Sahrawi Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek. According to the communiqué dated 17 July 2007, both parties decided to raise their diplomatic relations to ambassadorial level "as soon as possible". On 20 July the Chadian government released a note on its website, along with a full text of the communiqué, disputing the claim included in an article published in Alwihda that Chad and SADR had signed an agreement on recognition.[145] On 11 August 2018 Sahrawi President expressed appreciation for the steadfast position of Chad in supporting the Sahrawi people's right to freedom and independence.[146]
Mali	4 July 1980	10 April 2026[147]	AU, OIC
Papua New Guinea	12 August 1981	30 March 2011[148]	—
Tuvalu	12 August 1981	3 September 2000[149]	—
Kiribati	12 August 1981	3 September 2000[149]	—
Nauru	12 August 1981	3 September 2000[150]	—
Solomon Islands	12 August 1981	January 1989[68]	—
Suriname	21 August 1982[151]	9 March 2016[151][152]	OIC
Ecuador[c]	14 November 1983	14 June 2004[153]	—
	8 February 2006[154]	22 October 2024[155][156]
Burkina Faso	4 March 1984	5 June 1996[142][157]	AU, OIC
Liberia	31 July 1985	5 September 1997[158]	AU. Further details An October 2012 press release by the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned the existence of an Ambassador-Designate of the Sahrawi Republic.[159] Since then, Liberia opened a consulate in Moroccan-occupied Dakhla in 2020 and has consistently expressed its support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.[160][161][162]
India	1 October 1985	26 June 2000[163]	—, India–SADR relations
Guatemala[c]	10 April 1986	April 1998[68][164]	— Further details Although Guatemala does not recognize the SADR as a state, it does recognize Sahrawi passports and grants visas to its holders.[165]
Dominican Republic[c]	24 June 1986[166]	23 May 2002[167]	—
St. Kitts and Nevis	25 February 1987	12 August 2010[120]	—
Antigua and Barbuda	27 February 1987	12 August 2010[120]	—
Albania	29 December 1987	November 2004[168]	OIC Further details Recognized by the Socialist People's Republic of Albania.
Barbados	27 February 1988	11 February 2013[169][170]	—
Honduras[c]	26 April 1989[171]	22 April 2026[172]	OAS
El Salvador[c]	31 July 1989	April 1997[68]	—, El Salvador–SADR relations
	2009[173]	15 June 2019[174]
Malawi	16 November 1994[175]	26 June 2001[176]	AU Further details In 2021, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita announced in a press conference with his Malawian counterpart Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka that Malawi will open a consulate in Moroccan-occupied Laayoune.[177]
	24 March 2002[178][179]	27 December 2002[180]
	1 February 2008[175][181][182]	16 September 2008[183]
	6 March 2014[184][185]	5 May 2017[186]
Paraguay[c]	9 February 2000[187]	25 July 2000	— Further details Diplomatic relations suspended on 3 January 2014,[188] Paraguay recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara on 22 September 2025 and announced plans to open a consulate in the occupied territories.[189][190]
	12 August 2008[191]	22 September 2025[189]
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	14 February 2002[192]	15 February 2013[193]	—
Haiti[c]	22 November 2006[194]	2 October 2013[195]	—

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Former states

More information State, Date of ...

State	Date of		Relevant membership, further details
	Recognition[16]	Withdrawal
South Yemen	2 February 1977	22 May 1990	Arab League, OIC Further details South Yemen, which recognized the SADR in 1977, unified with North Yemen on 22 May 1990. Just prior to unification, the Yemeni ministers of foreign affairs stated that all existing international relations would be maintained.[196][197] However, since unification, Yemen has consistently supported Moroccan claims on Western Sahara.[198][199][200] In its list of countries that have recognized the SADR, the Sahrawi Permanent Mission to the AU notes that South Yemen has "stopped existing as a country".[17]
Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro	28 November 1984	27 October 2004	—, SADR–Yugoslavia relations Further details Yugoslavia dissolved in 1992 without a sole successor state,[201] though its self-proclaimed successor, the Federal Republic of Yugoslaiva (FRY), inherited its recognition of the SADR. The FRY reorganized itself as Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, then withdrew its recognition of the SADR on 27 October 2004.[202] In its list of countries that recognize the SADR, the Sahrawi Permanent Mission to the AU notes that Yugoslavia has ceased to exist.[17]

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The parliaments of several states that do not recognize the Sahrawi Republic have called on their respective governments to recognize SADR. In 1988, the Raul Alfonsín government of Argentina made a compromise to recognize the independence of the Sahrawi Republic in the end of 1988. This announcement was dated 6 May 1988, sent by a letter signed by Minister Dante Caputo to Minister of Foreign Affairs of SADR. 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.^[203]

In November 1999, the foreign minister of Chile informed the Sahrawi Chancellor by letter that the president of Chile had decided to recognize the SADR. However, this recognition was never implemented. Therefore, Chile's Chamber of Deputies has subsequently repeatedly called for the recognition of SADR and establishment of diplomatic relations with it.^[204][205] The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies has repeatedly asked government of Brazil to recognize SADR and establish diplomatic relations with it.^{[206][207][208]}

In 2004, the Australian Senate adopted a motion where "urges Australian government to positively consider extending diplomatic recognition to SADR at the appropriate time."^[209] In 2014, the Swedish Riksdag voted to recommend that the Swedish government "recognises the SADR as soon as possible", becoming the first EU member state to do so.^[210] In January 2014 a bill was submitted in the Danish parliament that Denmark would recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, but it has not been voted on.^[211][212]

• Political status of Western Sahara
• Foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• List of states with limited recognition