These are the countries that have turned their backs on Morocco in the Sahara conflict

Morocco is experiencing a sweet period in foreign policy. Although it has distanced itself from historical allies – which persist, after all – such as France, its closeness to the United States has given it a visible boost in diplomatic and business relations. And, also, in the biggest territorial conflict that remains alive: that of the Western Sahara.

The former US president, Donald Trump, recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over this area in December 2020; It was the first country in the world to do so. Then came the controversial change in the traditional Spanish position, with the same arguments: that the autonomy plan of Morocco, the conqueror, is the most “serious, realistic and reliable” to end the conflict. And even Israel, supported by the Abraham Accords that opened up the Arab world to it, jumped on the bandwagon to support Rabat at this point.

Despite this, not all states in the world are of the same mind, and there are those who support the Sahrawi Democratic Republic (SADR) and describe its aspirations as legitimate and its representatives, the members of the Polisario Front, as legitimate. Since the beginning of the conflict, States have positioned themselves based on their interests, as in other world conflicts.

Many African countries recognize the independence of the SADR, until it is part of the African Union; Needless to say, Morocco left as soon as their opponent’s entry was confirmed. However, among Western countries there is a large division of opinion and, for the most part, they agree with Morocco’s aspirations, although with different degrees and nuances. There are those who directly consider Rabat’s sovereignty good and those who limit themselves to talk about defending Rabat’s interests, but do not commit to the final formula of autonomy or guardianship.

For Morocco, all of the Western Sahara belongs to it and it is considered to be largely part of what it calls the western provinces, referring to the so-called “historical rights.” Although Mauritania also claimed the sovereignty of these territories in the early 70s. In 1976, after Spain left the province after signing the Madrid Tripartite Agreement with Morocco and Mauritania, the Polisario Front (representative of the Saharawi people) proclaimed the creation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Currently, the United Nations does not recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and continues to consider the area a province in the process of decolonization. That is its official status and the territories occupied by Morocco are considered illegally occupied, in the same way as the territories occupied by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. In the area there is a ceasefire managed by the UN since 1991 and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). Spain remains legally an administrative power, moreover.

In total, 83 countries have recognized the SADR: 31 of them have canceled recognition over the years, seven have kept it frozen until a referendum is held (which is what the United Nations plan means for the territory) and the 45 continues to maintain it.

This is the complete list:

1. Afghanistan
2. Albania
3. Angola
4. Old and bearded
5. Algeria
6. Barbados
7. Belize
8. Benin
9. pubic hair
10. Botswana
11. Burkina Faso
12. Burundi
13. Cape Verde
14. Cambodia
15. It’s Chad
16. Colombia
17. Congo
18. North Korea
19. Costa Rica
20. Cuba
21. Dominica
22. Ecuador
23. The Savior
24. Ethiopia
25. Ghana
26. pomegranate
27. Guatemala
28. Guinea-Bissau
29. Equatorial Guinea
30. Guyana
31. Haiti
32. Honduras
33. India
34. Iran
35. Jamaica
36. Kenya
37. Kiribati
38. overripe
39. Lesotho
40. Liberia
41. Libya
42. Madagascar
43. Malawi
44. Little ones
45. Mauricio
46. Mauritania
47. Mexico
48. Mozambique
49. Namibia
50. Nauru
51. Nicaragua
52. Nigeria
53. South Ossetia
54. Panama
55. Papua New Guinea
56. Paraguay
57. Peru
58. Dominican Republic
59. Rwanda
60. Solomon Islands
61. Saint Kitts and Nevis
62. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
63. San Lucia
64. Sao Tome and Principe
65. Seychelles
66. Sierra Leone
67. Syria
68. South Africa
69. South Sudan
70. Surinam
71. Swaziland
72. Tanzania
73. East Timor
74. Togo
75. Trinidad and Tobago
76. Tuvalu
77. Uganda
78. Uruguay
79. Vanuatu
80. Venezuela
81. Vietnam
82. Zambia
83. Zimbabwe