Political status of Western Sahara
Open-knowledge reference entry
Western Sahara, formerly the colony of Spanish Sahara, is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro), which is an independence movement based in Tindouf. The annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco took place in two stages, in 1976 and 1979, and is considered illegal under international law.
Western Sahara 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, which regards Spain as the de jure administering state. Under international law, Western Sahara is not a legal part of Morocco, and it remains under the international laws of military occupation.
Background
Since the Madrid Accords of 1975, most of Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco as the Southern Provinces. The smallest and least resourced section, the Liberated Territories, is administered by the Polisario Front as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Mauritania administers the western half of the Ras Nouadhibou Peninsula. An UN-monitored cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991.
No other country than the United States, Israel and Paraguay has ever recognized Morocco's unilateral annexation of Western Sahara; however, certain countries have recognized that Morocco exerts de facto control of the region. Overall, the annexation has not garnered as much attention in the international community as many other disputed annexations (e.g.
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