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The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on 27 February 1976, in Bir Lehlu, Western Sahara. SADR claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony; however, at present the SADR government controls only about 20–25% of the territory it claims. It calls the territories under its control the "Liberated Territories".
As of 2016, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has been recognized by 84 UN member states. Of these, 37 have since "frozen" or "withdrawn" recognition. SADR has, at some point in time, been recognised by 7001435000000000000♠43.5% of United Nations (UN) member states, 38 out of 54 (7001700000000000000♠70%) African Union (AU) member states, 18 out of 57 (7001320000000000000♠32%) Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states, and 5 out of 22 (7001230000000000000♠23%) Arab League (AL) member states. Several states that do not recognize the Sahrawi Republic nonetheless recognize the Polisario Front as the legitimate representative of the population of the Western Sahara, but not as the government-in-exile of a sovereign state.
The SADR has been a member of the African Union (AU), formerly the Organization of African Unity (OAU), since 1984. Morocco withdrew from the OAU in protest, until rejoining in 2017. The SADR also participates as guest on meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement or the New Asian–African Strategic Partnership, over Moroccan objections to SADR participation.
The Arab League simply supports "Moroccan territorial integrity", without further specification. While no other country has ever recognized Morocco's unilateral annexation of Western Sahara, a number of countries have expressed their support for a future recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory as an autonomous part of the Kingdom. Overall, the annexation has not garnered as much attention in the international community as many other disputed annexations (e.g. the Russian annexation of Crimea).
Besides Mexico, Algeria, Iran, Venezuela, Vietnam, Nigeria and South Africa, India was the major middle power to have ever recognized SADR, having allowed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to open embassy in New Delhi in 1985. However, India "withdrew" its recognition in 2000.
States that have recognized SADR
84 UN member states and South Ossetia either currently recognize SADR or have recognized it in the past. Of these, 37 have "suspended", "frozen" or "withdrawn" recognition (most recently Paraguay). Several African countries and Caribbean or Pacific island-states have taken such actions subsequent to Moroccan lobbying and offers of economic and other exchanges, although the association of such decisions and these efforts is discussable. As of 9 July 2011, South Sudan is the most recent nation to formally recognise the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The parliament of Sweden voted to recognize Western Sahara in December 2012 but this has not been enacted by the Swedish government. In January 2014 a bill was submitted in the Danish parliament that would recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic but it has not been voted on.
The following lists all the states that have ever recognized the SADR.