Foreign relations of Western Sahara
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Western Sahara is claimed and administered by Morocco since Spain abandoned the territory in 1975, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991.
Diplomatic recognition of statehood has been granted by the following states, although about 20 of them have later canceled relations:
- Madagascar (February 28, 1976)
- Burundi (March 1, 1976)
- Algeria (March 6, 1976)
- Angola (March 11, 1976)
- Benin (March 11, 1976)
- Mozambique (March 13, 1976)
- Guinea-Bissau (March 15, 1976)
- North Korea (March 16, 1976)
- Togo (March 17, 1976)
- Rwanda (April 1, 1976)
- South Yemen (February 2, 1977) - It is unknown whether diplomatic recognition is extended by the government of Yemen.
- Seychelles (October 25, 1977)
- Republic of Congo (June 3, 1978)
- Panama (June 23, 1978)
- Tanzania (November 9, 1978)
- Ethiopia (February 24, 1979)
- Viet Nam (March 2, 1979)
- Cambodia (April 10, 1979)
- Laos (May 9, 1979)
- Afghanistan (May 23, 1979)
- Cape Verde (July 4, 1979)
- Granada (August 20, 1979)
- Ghana (August 24, 1979)
- Guyana (September 1, 1979)
- Dominica (September 1, 1979)
- St. Lucia (September 1, 1979)
- Jamaica (September 4, 1979)
- Uganda (September 6, 1979)
- Nicaragua (September 6, 1979)
- Mexico (September 8, 1979)
- Lesotho (October 9, 1979)
- Zambia (October 12, 1979)
- Cuba (January 20, 1980)
- Iran (February 27, 1980)
- Sierra Leone (March 27, 1980)
- Syria (April 15, 1980)
- Libya (April 15, 1980)
- Swaziland (April 28, 1980)
- Botswana (May 14, 1980)
- Zimbabwe (July 3, 1980)
- Chad (July 4, 1980)
- Mali (July 4, 1980)
- Costa Rica (October 30, 1980)
- Vanuatu (November 27, 1980)
- Papua New Guinea (August 12, 1981)
- Tuvalu (August 12, 1981)
- Kiribati (August 12, 1981)
- Nauru (August 12, 1981)
- Solomon Islands (August 12, 1981)
- Mauritius (July 1, 1982)
- Venezuela (August 3, 1982)
- Surinam (August 11, 1982)
- Bolivia (December 14, 1982)
- Ecuador (November 14, 1983)
- Mauritania (February 27, 1984)
- Burkina Faso (March 4, 1984)
- Peru (August 16, 1984)
- Nigeria (November 12, 1984)
- Yugoslavia (November 28, 1984) - It is unknown whether diplomatic recognition is extended by the government of Serbia and Montenegro.
- Colombia (February 27, 1985)
- Liberia (July 31, 1985)
- India (October 1, 1985)
- Guatemala (April 10, 1986)
- Dominican Republic (June 24, 1986)
- Trinidad and Tobago (November 1, 1986)
- Belize (November 18, 1986)
- St. Kitts and Nevis (February 25, 1987)
- Antigua and Barbuda (February 27, 1987)
- Albania (December 29, 1987)
- Barbados (February 27, 1988)
- El Salvador (July 31, 1989)
- Honduras (November 8, 1989)
- Namibia (June 2, 1990)
- Malawi (November 16, 1994)
- Paraguay (February 9, 2000)
- South Africa (September 15, 2004)
Furthermore, Western Sahara is a full member of the African Union as the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. There have been rumors that the government of Turkey is considering recognizing the SADR after the publication in Morocco of a book labeling the Kurds as a distinct people from Turks (the official position of Ankara being that they are "Turks of the mountains").