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{{Short description|Partially recognised state in the western Maghreb}}{{Redirect|SADR}}{{use British English|date=October 2023}}{{use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}

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{{smallar{{native nameRepública Árabe Saharaui Democrática}}}}}}}}| common_name = Western Sahara| image_flag = Flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg| alt_flag = Flag of Western Sahara| image_coat = Coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg| alt_coat = Coat of arms of Western Saharaares|Libertad, Democracia, Unidad}}“Freedom, Democracy, Unity“}}{{translYā BanÄ« aá¹£-á¹¢aḥrāʾ}}}}’’“Ya Bani al-Sahra’“{{center>(File:Yabaniy es-sahara SADR anthem.mid)}}(File:Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (orthographic projection).svgLiberated Territories by the SADR in dark green, Southern Provinces>claimed but uncontrolled areas in light greenframeless)|Location of the SADR (dark blue) in the African Union (light blue)}}| map_width = 220pxList of states with limited recognition>State partially recognised by 46 UN member states and South Ossetia| capital = El Aaiún (de jure)| capital_exile = {hide}unbulleted list 27N12region:EH|display=inline,title}}| largest_city = capital

• ArabicWEB, SADR, Constitution of the SADR,www.rasd-state.ws/babtani.htm, es, 10 November 2020,www.rasd-state.ws/babtani.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20071111161544www.rasd-state.ws/babtani.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20071111161544www.rasd-state.ws/babtani.htm, 11 November 2007,
• Spanish{{efn|It is described as the SADR’s second official languageWEB,archive.spsrasd.info/ar/articles/2018/11/29/18612.html, الوفد الصحراوي سيحضر لقاء جنيف بإرادة صادقة للتقدم نحو الحل الذي يضمن حق الشعب الصحراوي في تقرير المصير والاستقلال

• Hassaniya Arabic
• SpanishWEB,cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf, El Español en los Campamentos de Refugiados Saharauis (Tinduf, Algeria), Cvc.cervantes.es, 20 May 2015, 26 December 2016,cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20161226150735cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20161226150735cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf, live,

Islam (State religion>official)| demonym = {hide}hlist ARCHIVE-DATE=28 MAY 2008, Western Sahara – Africa’s last colony, -40,000Vivir sin nubes El País, 18 December 2010, {{in lang|es}} inhabitantsUnitary state>Unitary One-party state Semi-presidential system>semi-presidential republicPresident of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic>President| leader_name1 = Brahim GhaliPrime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic>Prime Minister| leader_name2 = Bouchraya Hammoudi BayounSahrawi National Council>National Council#History>FormationMadrid Accords>Relinquishedby Spain| established_date1 = 14 November 1975| established_event2 = Republic declared| established_date2 = 27 February 1976| established_event3 = Sovereignty disputed over Western Sahara with MoroccoWestern Sahara conflict>Ongoing| area_rank = 77th| area_km2 = 266,00090,000abbr=on}} (controlled)| area_sq_mi = 102,703| percent_water = Negligible| area_label = Total| population_estimate_rank = | population_estimate_year = | population_census = | population_census_year = | population_density_km2 = | population_density_sq_mi = | population_density_rank = WESTERN SAHARA {{!, Economic Indicators >website=Moody’s Analytics Moody’s Ratings >accessdate=2024-05-06 archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214123212www.economy.com/western-sahara/indicators |url-status=live }}| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 197thSahrawi peseta {{small>(de jure)}} (EHP) {{Collapsible list West Africa Time>WAT| utc_offset = +1| time_zone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = ddmmyyyyAnno Domini>AD)| drives_on = right| cctld = .eh (reserved)| iso3166code = EH| calling_code = | image_map3 = | alt_map3 = | footnote_a = | footnote_b = | footnote_h = | footnotes = }}{{Western Sahara conflict}}The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic,{{Efn|{{IPAc-en|s|É™|ˈ|r|ɑː|w|i}} {{respell|sÉ™|RAH|wee}}; SADR; also known as Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic; ; , {{IPA-es|reˈpuβlik(a) ˈaɾaβe sa(a)ˈɾawi ðemoˈkɾatika|pron}}}} also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state, recognized by 46 UN member states and South Ossetia, located in the western Maghreb, which claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, but controls only the easternmost one-fifth of that territory. Between 1884 and 1975, Western Sahara was known as Spanish Sahara, a Spanish colony (later an overseas province). The SADR is one of the two African states in which Spanish is a significant language, the other being Equatorial Guinea.The SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on 27 February 1976, in Bir Lehlou, Western Sahara. The SADR government calls the territories under its control the Liberated Territories or the Free Zone. Morocco controls and administers the rest of the disputed territory, and calls these lands its Southern Provinces. The claimed capital city of the SADR is El Aaiún (the capital of the territory of Western Sahara). Since the SADR does not control El Aaiún, it has established a temporary capital in Tifariti, although most of the day-to-day administration happens in Rabuni, one of the Sahrawi refugee camps located in Tindouf, Algeria. The SADR maintains diplomatic relations with 46 United Nations states, and is a full member of the African Union. With a population of about half a million, it is the most sparsely populated in Africa, and the second-most sparsely populated in the world.WEB,worldpopulationreview.com/countries/western-sahara-population, Western Sahara Population 2023 (Live), 8 March 2023, 8 March 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230308172559/https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/western-sahara-population, live,

Etymology

The name Sahrawi is the romanization of the Arabic word , meaning ‘Inhabitant of the Desert’. The word then is derived from the Arabic word (), meaning ‘desert’.{{fact|date=December 2021}}

History

Following the evacuation of the Spaniards, due to the Moroccan Green March, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords on 14 November 1975, six days before Francisco Franco died. Morocco and Mauritania responded by annexing the territory of Western Sahara. On 26 February 1976, Spain informed the United Nations (UN) that as of that date it had terminated its presence in Western Sahara and relinquished its responsibilities, which left the region devoid of any Administering Power.WEB,www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2002/161, Letter dated 29 January 2002 from the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, addressed to the President of the Security Council, United Nations, 29 January 2002, 17 September 2016, 17 April 2017,www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S%2F2002%2F161," title="web.archive.org/web/20170417160422www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S%2F2002%2F161,">web.archive.org/web/20170417160422www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S%2F2002%2F161, live, Neither Morocco nor Mauritania gained international recognition, and war ensued with the independence-seeking Polisario Front. The UN considers the Polisario Front to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, and maintains that the people of Western Sahara have a right to “self-determination and independence”.JOURNAL, 1979, A/RES/34/37. Question of Western Sahara,www.un.org/documents/ga/res/34/a34res37.pdf, General Assembly—Thirty-fourth Session, United Nations, 15 March 2017, 10 January 2017,www.un.org/documents/ga/res/34/a34res37.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20170110161537www.un.org/documents/ga/res/34/a34res37.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20170110161537www.un.org/documents/ga/res/34/a34res37.pdf, live, The creation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was proclaimed on 27 February 1976, as the Polisario declared the need for a new entity to fill what they considered a political void left by the departing Spanish colonizers. While the claimed capital is the former Western Sahara capital El-Aaiún (which is in Moroccan-controlled territory), the proclamation was made in the government-in-exile’s provisional capital, Bir Lehlou, which remained in Polisario-held territory under the 1991 ceasefire (see Settlement Plan). On 27 February 2008, the provisional capital was formally moved to Tifariti.WEB,www.arso.org/01-f08-02.htm, Sahara Occidental – Actualités 2008, février, February 2008, 17 September 2016, 16 January 2017,www.arso.org/01-f08-02.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20170116173349www.arso.org/01-f08-02.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20170116173349www.arso.org/01-f08-02.htm, live, WEB,www.sahara-info.org/pdf/sahara_info141-142.pdf, Sahara Info, March 2008, 17 September 2016, dead,www.sahara-info.org/pdf/sahara_info141-142.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20170818082047www.sahara-info.org/pdf/sahara_info141-142.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20170818082047www.sahara-info.org/pdf/sahara_info141-142.pdf, 18 August 2017, Day-to-day business, however, is conducted in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf Province, Algeria, which house most of the Sahrawi exile community.

Constitution

A new 1999 Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic took a form similar to the parliamentary constitutions of many European states, but with some paragraphs suspended until the achievement of “full independence”. Among key points, the head of state is constitutionally the Secretary General of the Polisario Front during what is referred to as the “pre-independence phase”, with provision in the constitution that on independence, Polisario is supposed to be dismantled or separated completely from the government structure. Provisions are detailed for a transitory phase beginning with independence, in which the present SADR is supposed to act as Western Sahara’s government, ending with a constitutional reform and eventual establishment of a state along the lines specified in the constitution.{{fact|date=December 2021}}The broad guidelines laid down in the constitution for an eventual Western Saharan state include eventual multi-party democracy with a market economy. The constitution also defines Sahrawis as a Muslim, African and Arab people.Article 6 of the Sahrawi constitution. Article 2 prescribes that “Islam is the state religion and source of law”. The Constitution also declares a commitment to the principles of human rights and to the concept of a Greater Maghreb, as a regional variant of Pan-Arabism.{{fact|date=December 2021}}

Government structure

{{See also|Politics of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic|Elections in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}Since August 1982, the highest office of the republic has been the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a post held by the secretary-general of the Polisario Front, presently Brahim Ghali,Zunes S; Mundy J (2010). Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008193732books.google.com/books?id=6XzuIbQAXUIC&dq=revolutionary+council+president+1982+constitution+western+sahara&pg=PA117 |date=8 October 2023 }} Syracuse University Press. Retrieved 3 August 2016. who appoints the Prime Minister, presently Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun. The SADR’s government structure consists of a Council of Ministers (a cabinet led by the Prime Minister), a judicial branch (with judges appointed by the President) and the parliamentary Sahrawi National Council (SNC; the present speaker is Hamma Salama). Since its inception in 1976, the various constitutional revisions have transformed the republic from an ad hoc managerial structure into something approaching an actual governing apparatus. From the late 1980s the parliament began to take steps to institute a division of powers and to disentangle the republic’s structures from those of the Polisario Front, although without clear effect to date.{{fact|date=December 2021}}Its various ministries are responsible for a variety of services and functions. The judiciary, complete with trial courts, appeals courts and a supreme court, operates in the same areas. As a government-in-exile, many branches of government do not fully function, and has affected the constitutional roles of the institutions. Institutions parallel to government structures also have arisen within the Polisario Front, which is fused with the SADR’s governing apparatus, and with operational competences overlapping between these party and governmental institutions and offices. A 2012 report mentioned the existence of the Sahrawi Bar Association.WEB,www.achpr.org/files/sessions/12th-eo/mission-reports/promotion_mission-2012/mission_report_sahrawi_cpta_eng.pdf.pdf, Report of the Fact-Finding Mission to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, September 2012, African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights, 27 December 2017, 30 March 2014,www.achpr.org/files/sessions/12th-eo/mission-reports/promotion_mission-2012/mission_report_sahrawi_cpta_eng.pdf.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20140330005902www.achpr.org/files/sessions/12th-eo/mission-reports/promotion_mission-2012/mission_report_sahrawi_cpta_eng.pdf.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20140330005902www.achpr.org/files/sessions/12th-eo/mission-reports/promotion_mission-2012/mission_report_sahrawi_cpta_eng.pdf.pdf, live, In 2016, the bar association (going by the name Union of Sahrawi Lawyers) issued a report calling for the implementation of political and civil rights.WEB,tbinternet.ohchr.org/, تقرير موازي بمناسبة استعراض التقرير السادس للملكة المغربية حول تنفيذ مقتضيات العهد الدولي للحقوق المدنية Ùˆ السياسية, اتحاد المحامين الصحراويين, Unfortunately, there is no clear indication as to how certain demographic groups, such as women, have fared in the legal field.{{fact|date=December 2021}}The SNC is weak in its legislative role, having been instituted as a mainly consultative and consensus-building institution, but it has strengthened its theoretical legislative and controlling powers during later constitutional revisions. Among other things, it has added a ban on the death penalty to the constitution, and brought down the government in 1999 through a vote of no-confidence.{{fact|date=December 2021}}The Sahrawi National Council is composed of 53 members, all from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro.{{fact|date=December 2021}}

Military

The Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army is the defence force of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and previously served as the armed wing of the Polisario Front prior to the foundation of the Republic.

Economy

The SADR in its controlled territories uses the Sahrawi Peseta although the majority of the country uses the Moroccan Dirham.

Demographics

{{excerpt|Demographics of Western Sahara|only=paragraphs}}

Religion

{{see also|Catholic Church in Western Sahara}}The predominant religion practiced by Sahrawis is the Maliki school of Sunni Islam, which is constitutionally recognized as the official religion of the SADR and a source of law. Virtually all Sahrawis identify as Muslim according to the CIA World Factbook, which makes the country one of the most religiously homogeneous nations in the world.The Catholic Church had an important presence during Spanish rule, with 20,000 Spanish Catholics present before Spain abandoned the territory (30% of the population). Today around 300 people in the Moroccan-controlled areas are Catholic (mostly of Spanish origin), being able to attend the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in El Aaiún and the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Dakhla.

Language

Modern Standard Arabic is the sole constitutionally recognized official and national language of the Sahrawi Republic.CONSTITUTION, 3, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, 2023-01-17, Hassaniya, a variety of Arabic also spoken in neighbouring countries such as Mauritania, is the common vernacular language of the Sahrawi people.Spanish was introduced during the Spanish colonisation in the late 19th century, and remains as the preferred second language of the Sahrawi, also enjoying a de facto working language status.{{sfn|Martos|2014|p=1199–1202}} In 2018, President Brahim Gali stated that the SADR is the only Arab country in the world where Spanish is an official language. Instituto Cervantes estimates that around 20,000 Sahrawis have limited competencies in SpanishREPORT, 2022, El español: una lengua viva — Informe 2022, Spanish: a living language — 2022 report,cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2022.pdf, Instituto Cervantes, 10, 2023-11-16, 18 February 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200218134448/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2019.pdf, live,

Area of authority

The SADR acted as a government administration in the Sahrawi refugee camps located in the Tindouf Province of western Algeria. It is headquartered in Camp Rabouni, south of Tindouf, although some official events have taken place in towns in the Free Zone, including the provisional capitals, first Bir Lehlou until 2008, then Tifariti. The government of the SADR claims sovereignty over all of the Western Sahara territory, but has control only within the Free Zone. Several foreign aid agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and non-governmental organizations, are continually active in the camps.

International recognition and membership

{{Numrec|SADR|asof=S|N=1|link=N|alt2=the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has been recognized by}} states. Of these, 39 have since “frozen” or “withdrawn” recognition for a number of reasons. A total of 29 UN states maintain an embassy from the SADR, with Vietnam being the only nation not hosting an embassy but only sending their own missionWEB, 12 January 2017, Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Gambia, the Republic of Niger and the Arab Republic of Sarahoui.,vnembassy-alger.mofa.gov.vn/en-us/embassy/Ambassador/Biography%20Ambassador/Pages/default.aspx, deviated,web.archive.org/web/20171201030637/https://vnembassy-alger.mofa.gov.vn/en-us/embassy/Ambassador/Biography%20Ambassador/Pages/default.aspx, 1 December 2017, 31 January 2023, Sahrawi embassies exist in 18 states. 6 UN states have other diplomatic relations, while a further 9 UN nations and South OssetiaWEB, Semi-Recognized Western Sahara to Recognize South Ossetia {{!, Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/semi-recognized-western-sahara-to-recognize-south-ossetia |access-date=2023-01-31 |website=eurasianet.org |language=en |archive-date=11 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811152911eurasianet.org/semi-recognized-western-sahara-to-recognize-south-ossetia |url-status=live }} also recognize the state either by previous regimes or through international agreements in the past, but do not have any active relations at the moment (see foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic for more details).Chile,WEB, 2014-02-14, MRE {{!, Declaración del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores |url=http://www.mre.gov.py/v1/noticias/1323-declaracion-del-ministerio-de-relaciones-exteriores.aspx |access-date=2023-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214175028www.mre.gov.py/v1/noticias/1323-declaracion-del-ministerio-de-relaciones-exteriores.aspx |archive-date=14 February 2014 }} Australia,WEB, afrol News - Australia may recognise Saharawi Republic,www.afrol.com/articles/14885, 2023-01-31, www.afrol.com, 12 July 2015,www.afrol.com/articles/14885," title="web.archive.org/web/20150712064919www.afrol.com/articles/14885,">web.archive.org/web/20150712064919www.afrol.com/articles/14885, live, Brazil,WEB, Portal da Câmara dos Deputados,www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=353793, 2023-01-31, www.camara.leg.br, 31 January 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230131102645/https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=353793, live, WEB, Portal da Câmara dos Deputados,www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=525329, 2023-01-31, www.camara.leg.br, 31 January 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230131102650/https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=525329, live, WEB, Portal da Câmara dos Deputados,www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=617193, 2023-01-31, www.camara.leg.br, 31 January 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230131102648/https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=617193, live, WEB, INS 3/2015 - Senado Federal,www25.senado.leg.br/web/atividade/materias/-/materia/121793/, 2023-01-31, www25.senado.leg.br, 31 January 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230131102647/https://www25.senado.leg.br/web/atividade/materias/-/materia/121793/, live, and SwedenNEWS, 5 December 2012, Sweden softens line on Western Sahara recognition in face of boycott threat, Sveriges Radio,sverigesradio.se/artikel/6269430, 31 January 2023, 31 January 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230131132945/https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6269430, live, have all internally voted to recognize the SADR, but none have yet ratified it.Although it is not recognized by the UN, the SADR has held full membership of the African Union (AU, formerly the Organisation of African Unity, OAU) since 1982. Morocco withdrew from the OAU in protest during 1984, and from the time of South Africa’s admittance to the OAU in 1994 was the only African UN member not also a member of the AU, until it was readmitted on 30 January 2017.NEWS,www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/183967/morocco-rejoins-african-union, Morocco rejoins African Union, Worldbulletin, 30 January 2017, 31 January 2017, 20 July 2018,www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/183967/morocco-rejoins-african-union," title="web.archive.org/web/20180720013737www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/183967/morocco-rejoins-african-union,">web.archive.org/web/20180720013737www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/183967/morocco-rejoins-african-union, live, The SADR participates as a guest in meetings of the Non-Aligned MovementNEWS, NAM reiterates support to right of Saharawi people to determination,www.spsrasd.info/en/content/nam-reiterates-support-right-saharawi-people-determination, Sahara Press Service, 30 August 2012, 27 September 2012, dead,www.spsrasd.info/en/content/nam-reiterates-support-right-saharawi-people-determination," title="web.archive.org/web/20150429234549www.spsrasd.info/en/content/nam-reiterates-support-right-saharawi-people-determination,">web.archive.org/web/20150429234549www.spsrasd.info/en/content/nam-reiterates-support-right-saharawi-people-determination, 29 April 2015, NEWS, Algeria praises NAM’s continued support to struggle of Saharawi people for self-determination,www.spsrasd.info/en/content/algeria-praises-nam%E2%80%99s-continued-support-struggle-saharawi-people-self-determination, Sahara Press Service, 2 September 2012, 27 September 2012, dead,www.spsrasd.info/en/content/algeria-praises-nam%E2%80%99s-continued-support-struggle-saharawi-people-self-determination," title="web.archive.org/web/20131224113235www.spsrasd.info/en/content/algeria-praises-nam%E2%80%99s-continued-support-struggle-saharawi-people-self-determination,">web.archive.org/web/20131224113235www.spsrasd.info/en/content/algeria-praises-nam%E2%80%99s-continued-support-struggle-saharawi-people-self-determination, 24 December 2013, and the New Asian–African Strategic Partnership,NEWS, South Africa,www.arso.org/01-e06-3536.htm, ARSO â€“ Association de soutien à un référendum libre et régulier au Sahara Occidental, 9 September 2006, 27 September 2012, 29 August 2019,www.arso.org/01-e06-3536.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20190829211525www.arso.org/01-e06-3536.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20190829211525www.arso.org/01-e06-3536.htm, live, WEB,www.sabcnews.com/politics/government/0,2172,134138,00.html, Asia-Afro partnership meeting kicked off today, 1 September 2006, South African Broadcasting Corporation, 1 September 2006, South African Broadcasting Corporation,www.sabcnews.com/politics/government/0,2172,134138,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20070929124001www.sabcnews.com/politics/government/0,2172,134138,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20070929124001www.sabcnews.com/politics/government/0,2172,134138,00.html, 29 September 2007, over Moroccan objections to SADR participation.WEB,www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,134161,00.html, Moroccan objections taint Asian-Africa meeting, 2 September 2006, South African Broadcasting Corporation, 2 September 2006, South African Broadcasting Corporation, dead,www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,134161,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20070929131616www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,134161,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20070929131616www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,134161,00.html, 29 September 2007, The SADR also participated in a conference of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of the Latin American and the Caribbean (COPPPAL) in 2006;WEB,www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B943864EE-C2AE-4E93-9B70-56F6B144C30A%7D&language=EN, LatAm, Caribbean Parties in Nicaragua, 11 September 2006, Prensa Latina, 11 September 2006, Prensa Latina, dead,www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B943864EE-C2AE-4E93-9B70-56F6B144C30A%7D&language=EN," title="web.archive.org/web/20061022143000www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B943864EE-C2AE-4E93-9B70-56F6B144C30A%7D&language=EN,">web.archive.org/web/20061022143000www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B943864EE-C2AE-4E93-9B70-56F6B144C30A%7D&language=EN, 22 October 2006, the SADR ambassador to Nicaragua participated in the opening conference of the Central American Parliament in 2010,NEWS, Saharawi Ambassador to Nicaragua receives delegation from Central American Parliament,www.spsrasd.info/news/spsarchive/ar/node/24907,www.spsrasd.info/news/spsarchive/ar/node/24907," title="web.archive.org/web/20170810131024www.spsrasd.info/news/spsarchive/ar/node/24907,">web.archive.org/web/20170810131024www.spsrasd.info/news/spsarchive/ar/node/24907, dead, 10 August 2017, SPS, 7 January 2010, 7 February 2010, and a SADR delegation participated in the meeting of COPPPAL and International Conference of Asian Political Parties in Mexico City in 2012.NEWS, Saharawi Representation to Mexico attends COPPPAL-ICAPP meeting,www.spsrasd.info/en/content/saharawi-representation-mexico-attends-copppal-icapp-meeting, Sahara Press Service, 15 October 2012, 10 December 2012, dead,www.spsrasd.info/en/content/saharawi-representation-mexico-attends-copppal-icapp-meeting," title="web.archive.org/web/20131224092314www.spsrasd.info/en/content/saharawi-representation-mexico-attends-copppal-icapp-meeting,">web.archive.org/web/20131224092314www.spsrasd.info/en/content/saharawi-representation-mexico-attends-copppal-icapp-meeting, 24 December 2013, On 27 February 2011, the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of SADR was held in Tifariti, Western Sahara. Delegations, including parliamentarians, ambassadors, NGOs and activists from many countries participated in this event.WEB,stiffkitten.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/western-sahara-35-years-of-colonisation-and-exile-is-enough/, Western Sahara: 35 years of colonisation and exile is enough | Kenworthy News Media â€“ development & socio-political issues, Stiffkitten.wordpress.com, 3 March 2011, 20 May 2015, 12 April 2011,stiffkitten.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/western-sahara-35-years-of-colonisation-and-exile-is-enough/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110412040219stiffkitten.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/western-sahara-35-years-of-colonisation-and-exile-is-enough/,">web.archive.org/web/20110412040219stiffkitten.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/western-sahara-35-years-of-colonisation-and-exile-is-enough/, live, weblink{{dead link|date=January 2015}}The SADR is not a member of the Arab League, nor of the Arab Maghreb Union, both of which include Morocco as a full member.

Proposed Western Sahara Authority

Under the Baker Plan created by James Baker, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s personal envoy to Western Sahara, the SADR would have been replaced with a five-year transitional Western Sahara Authority (WSA), a non-sovereign autonomous region supervised by Morocco, to be followed by a referendum on independence. It was endorsed by the UN in 2003. As Morocco has declined to participate, however, the plan appears dead.{{citation needed|date=February 2011}}In April 2007, the government of Morocco suggested that a self-governing entity, through the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), should govern the territory with some degree of autonomy for Western Sahara. The project was presented to the UN Security Council in mid-April 2007. A stalemate over the Moroccan proposal led the UN, in an April 2007 “Report of the UN Secretary-General”, to ask the parties to enter into direct and unconditional negotiations to reach a mutually accepted political solution.WEB,daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/299/28/PDF/N0729928.pdf?OpenElement, Report of the Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara, 13 April 2007, UN Security Council, 18 May 2007, {{dead link|date=July 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Sports

{{See also|Football in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}The SADR was invited to participate in the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville, which would have been the country’s debut at a major international sporting event. However, its thirteen athletes were not allowed to compete by the Congolese organizing committee.WEB, Pécout, Adrien, Jeux africains : le coureur révolté du peuple sahraoui, African Games: the rebellious runner of the Sahrawi people, Le Monde.fr, 2015-09-08,www.lemonde.fr/athletisme/article/2015/09/12/jeux-africains-le-coureur-revolte-du-peuple-sahraoui_4751641_1616661.html, fr, 2024-04-06, 30 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230430141246/https://www.lemonde.fr/athletisme/article/2015/09/12/jeux-africains-le-coureur-revolte-du-peuple-sahraoui_4751641_1616661.html, live, The country has a national football team, but its governing body, the Sahrawi Football Federation, is not a member of FIFA or the Confederation of African Football.WEB, ALGERIA/MOROCCO/WESTERN SAHARA : Confederation of African Football rejects Sahrawi membership move, Africa Intelligence, 2023-06-12,www.africaintelligence.com/north-africa/2023/06/12/confederation-of-african-football-rejects-sahrawi-membership-move,109992777-art, 2024-04-05, 5 April 2024,web.archive.org/web/20240405131503/https://www.africaintelligence.com/north-africa/2023/06/12/confederation-of-african-football-rejects-sahrawi-membership-move,109992777-art, live,

National holidays {| class“wikitable”

! style="width:80px;“| Date !! style="width:200px;“| Name! Original event / NotesIndependence Day >| Proclamation of the SADR in Bir Lehlou, 1976| Polisario Front >| The anniversary of the front’s establishment in 1973| Start of the armed struggle against Spain in 1973Martyrs >El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed>El-Ouali died in 1976Zemla Intifada >| Harakat Tahrir riots in El-Aaiun, 1970| Celebrating the commemoration anniversary of the Ain Ben Tili Conference, 1975Additionally, Muslim celebrations are kept according to the lunar Islamic calendar.{| class=“wikitable”! style="width:120px;“| Date !! style="width:80px;“| Name! ObservanceMuharram 1 >| Islamic New YearHijrah>Hijra from Mecca to Medina and the beginning of the lunar Islamic yearDhul Hijja 10 >| Eid al-Adha| Sacrifice feastShawwal 1 >| Eid al-Fitr|End of RamadanRabi’ al-awwal 12 >| Mawlid|Birth of Muhammad

Gallery

File:Mezquita en Dajla (Sahara Occidental).jpg|A mosque in Dakhla, a city under Moroccan control.File:Veronica Forque en el Sáhara libre.jpg|The Spanish actress Verónica Forqué at the Sahara Film Festival.File:RASD - Commemoration of the 30th independence day in the Liberated Territories (2006).jpg|Commemoration of the 30th independence day in Tifariti, Liberated Territories, Western Sahara{{Clear}}

See also

• Elections in Western Sahara
• Foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• International recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• List of cities in Western Sahara
• Moroccan Western Sahara Wall
• Outline of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• Polisario Front
• Political status of Western Sahara
• Politics of Western Sahara

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist|40em}}

External links

{{Sister project links|voy=Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}Official SADR pages

• {{in lang|es}} www.polisario.es/" title="web.archive.org/web/20190520045150www.polisario.es/">Polisario.es {{smaller|(Official website of the Sahrawi Delegation in Spain)}}
• {{in lang|ar|en|fr|es}} Sahara Press Service (SPS) {{smaller|(official SADR press agency)}}
• {{in lang|ar|es}} RASD TV {{smaller|(official TV channel)}}
• {{in lang|ar|es}} web.jet.es/rasd/radionacional.htm" title="web.archive.org/web/20150327062458web.jet.es/rasd/radionacional.htm">SADR National Radio {{smaller|(official radio channel)}}
• SADR Oil & Gas 2005 {{smaller|(SADR oil and gas licensing offer)}}
• {{in lang|es}} Sahara salud {{smaller|(dependency of the Health ministry of the SADR)}}
• {{in lang|ar|es}} www.mindesaeco-rasd.org/" title="web.archive.org/web/20180831165821www.mindesaeco-rasd.org/">Economic development ministry of the SADR
• {{in lang|es}} www.miculturarasd.eu/" title="web.archive.org/web/20120407024659www.miculturarasd.eu/">Ministry of Culture of the SADR
• {{in lang|es}} UJSARIO {{smaller|(Sahrawi Youth Union. Dakhla refugee camp section blog)}}
• {{in lang|es}} www.mujeresaharauis.es/" title="web.archive.org/web/20090504093021www.mujeresaharauis.es/">UNMS {{smaller|(Association of Sahrawi Women in Spain)}}

SADR pages

• {{in lang|es}} Sahara Today {{smaller|(Independent Digital Journal Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)}}
• {{in lang|ar|es}} Futuro Saharaui {{smaller|(Saharawi first independent magazine founded in 1999)}}
• {{in lang|es}} EFA Abidin Kaid Saleh de la RASD Audiovisual Education School Abidin Kaid Saleh of the SADR)
• {{in lang|es}} ARTifariti {{smaller|(International Meetings of the Art in the Liberated Territories of SADR)}}

{{SADR topics|state=expanded}}{{Western Sahara topics}}{{Countries and territories of North Africa}}{{Countries of Africa}}{{States with limited recognition}}{{Authority control}}