Western Sahara 33220 225183808 2008-07-12T09:43:24Z Reisio 200193 prvl; if that were meant to be centered, it would be done via the template {{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}} {{for|the partially recognised state|Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}} {{Infobox Country |native_name = <big>الصحراء الغربية</big><br />''{{Unicode|As-Ṣaḥrā' al-Ġarbiyyah}}''<br />''Sahara Occidental'' |conventional_long_name = Western Sahara |common_name = Western Sahara |image_flag = |image_coat = |symbol_type = |image_map = LocationWesternSahara.svg |national_motto = |national_anthem = |official_languages = N/A |regional_languages = [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] <ref>[http://hispanismo.cervantes.es/faq.asp#105 Instituto Cervantes]</ref>|demonym = Sahrawi |capital = N/A |latd= |latm= |latNS= |longd= |longm= |longEW= |largest_city = [[El Aaiún]] (Laâyoune) |government_type = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |sovereignty_type = Disputed sovereignty<sup>1</sup> |established_event1 = Relinquished by [[Spain]] |established_date1 = [[November 14]], [[1975]] |area_rank = 77th |area_magnitude = 1 E11 |area_km2 = 266,000 |area_sq_mi = 102,703 |percent_water = negligible |population_estimate = 382,617 |population_estimate_rank = 177th |population_estimate_year = July 2007 |population_census = |population_census_year = |population_density_km2 = 1.3 |population_density_sq_mi = 3.4 |population_density_rank = 238th |GDP_PPP = |GDP_PPP_rank = |GDP_PPP_year = |GDP_PPP_per_capita = |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = |GDP_nominal = |GDP_nominal_rank = |GDP_nominal_year = |GDP_nominal_per_capita = |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = |HDI = |HDI_rank = |HDI_year = |HDI_category = |currency = [[Moroccan Dirham|Moroccan]] [[dirham]] |currency_code = MAD |time_zone = UTC |utc_offset = +0 |time_zone_DST = GMT |utc_offset_DST = |cctld = [[.eh]] is reserved but not used |calling_code = 212 |calling_code_note = <sup>2</sup> |footnotes = <sup>1</sup> Mostly under administration of [[Morocco]] as its [[Southern Provinces]]. The [[Polisario Front]] controls border areas behind the [[Berm (Western Sahara)|border wall]] as the [[Free Zone (Western Sahara region)|Free Zone]], on behalf of the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]].<br/><sup>2</sup> Code for Morocco; no code specific to Western Sahara has been issued by the [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]]. }} '''Western Sahara''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: <big>'''الصحراء الغربية'''</big>; [[Arabic transliteration|transliterated]]: '''{{Unicode|as-Ṣaḥrā' al-Gharbīyah}}'''; {{lang-es|Sahara Occidental}}) is a territory of [[North Africa]], bordered by [[Morocco]] to the north, [[Algeria]] in the northeast, [[Mauritania]] to the east and south, and the [[Atlantic Ocean]] on the west. It is one of the [[List of countries by population density|most sparsely populated territories in the world]], mainly consisting of [[desert]] flatlands. The largest city is [[El Aaiún]] (Laâyoune), which is home to over half of the population of the territory. Western Sahara has been on the [[United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories]] since the 1960s when it was a Spanish colony.<ref>Whitfield, Teresa. ''Friends Indeed?: The United Nations, Groups of Friends, and the Resolution of Conflict''. 2007, page 191.</ref> The Kingdom of [[Morocco]] and the [[Polisario Front]] independence movement (and government of the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] or SADR) dispute control of the territory. Since a [[United Nations]]-sponsored ceasefire agreement in 1991, most of the territory has been controlled by Morocco, with the remainder under the control of the Polisario/SADR, backed by [[Algeria]].<ref>Baehr, Peter R. ''The United Nations at the End of the 1990s''. 1999, page 129.</ref> Internationally, major powers such as the United States have taken a generally ambiguous and neutral position on each side's claims, and have pressed both parties to agree on a peaceful resolution. Both Morocco and Polisario have sought to boost their claims by accumulating formal recognition, essentially from African, Asian, and Latin American states in the developing world. Polisario has won formal recognition for SADR from roughly [[Foreign relations of Western Sahara|45 states]], and was extended membership in the [[African Union]], while Morocco has won formal recognition for its position from 25 states, as well as the membership of the [[Arab League]].<ref>''[http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/990108/1999010849.html Arab League supports Morocco's Territorial Integrity]'', Arabic News, Morocco-Regional, Politics, January 8, 1999. Retrieved August 24, 2006.</ref><ref>''[http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/981217/1998121758.html Arab League Withdraws Inaccurate Moroccan maps]'', Arabic News, Regional-Morocco, Politics, December 17, 1998. Retrieved August 24, 2006.</ref> In both instances, recognitions have over the past two decades been extended and withdrawn according to changing international trends. ==History== {{Sahara conflict}} {{clearright}} {{main|History of Western Sahara}} The earliest recorded inhabitants of the Western Sahara in historical times were agriculturalists called Bafour. The Bafour were later replaced or absorbed by [[Berber language|Berber-speaking]] populations which eventually merged in turn with migrating Arab tribes, although the Arabic speaking majority in the Western Sahara clearly by the historical record descend from [[Berber people|Berber]] tribes that adopted Arabic over time. There may also have been some [[Phoenicia]]n contacts in antiquity, but such contacts left few if any long-term traces. The arrival of [[Islam]] in the 8th century played a major role in the development of relationships between the Saharan regions that later became the modern territories of Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Algeria, and neighbouring regions. Trade developed further and the region became a passage of [[Camel train|caravan]]s especially between [[Marrakech]] and [[Tombouctou Region|Tombouctou]] in [[Mali]]. In the Middle Ages, the [[Almohads]] and [[Almoravids]] movements and dynasties both originated from the Saharan regions and were able to control the area. Towards the late Middle Ages, the [[Beni Hassan]] [[Arab]] bedouin tribes invaded the [[Maghreb]], reaching the northern border-area of the Sahara in the 14th and 15th century. Over roughly five centuries, through a complex process of acculturation and mixing seen elsewhere in the Maghreb and North Africa, the indigenous Berber tribes adopted [[Hassaniya]] Arabic and a mixed Arab-Berber nomadic culture. ===Spanish province=== During the first decade of the 20th century, after an agreement among the European colonial powers at the [[Berlin Conference]] in 1884 on the division of [[scramble for Africa|spheres of influence in Africa]], [[Spain]] seized control of the Western Sahara and established it as a Spanish protectorate after a series of wars against the local tribes reminiscent of similar European colonial adventures of the period, in the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, and elsewhere. Spanish colonial rule began to unravel with the general wave of decolonization after World War II, which saw Europeans lose control of North African and sub-Saharan African possessions and protectorates. Spanish decolonization in particular began rather late, but internal political and social pressures for it in mainland Spain built up towards the end of [[Francisco Franco]]'s rule, in the context of the global trend towards complete [[decolonization]]. Spain began rapidly and even chaotically divesting itself of most of its remaining colonial possessions. After initially being violently opposed to decolonization, Spain began to give in and by 1974-75 issued promises of a [[referendum]] on [[independence]]. The nascent [[Polisario Front]], a [[nationalism|nationalist]] organization that had begun fighting the Spanish in 1973, had been demanding such a move. At the same time, [[Morocco]] and [[Mauritania]], which had historical claims of sovereignty over the territory based on competing traditional claims, argued that the territory was artificially separated from their territories by the European colonial powers. The third neighbour of Spanish Sahara, [[Algeria]], viewed these demands with suspicion, influenced also by its long-running rivalry with Morocco. After arguing for a process of decolonization guided by the [[United Nations]], the government of [[Houari Boumédiènne]] committed itself in 1975 to assisting the Polisario Front, which opposed both Moroccan and Mauritanian claims and demanded full independence. The UN attempted to settle these disputes through a [[UN visiting mission to Spanish Sahara|visiting mission]] in late 1975, as well as a [[International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Western Sahara|verdict]] from the [[International Court of Justice]] (ICJ), which declared that the Western Sahara possessed the right of [[self-determination]]. On [[November 6]], [[1975]] the [[Green March]] into Western Sahara began when 350,000 unarmed Moroccans converged on the city of [[Tarfaya]] in southern Morocco and waited for a signal from King [[Hassan II of Morocco]] to cross into Western Sahara. ===Demands for independence=== In the waning days of General [[Francisco Franco|Franco]]'s rule in November 1975, the Spanish government secretly signed on 14 November 1975, mere days before Franco's death, a [[Madrid Accords|tripartite agreement]] with Morocco and Mauritania as it moved to abandon the Territory. Although the accords foresaw a tripartite administration, Morocco and Mauritania each moved to annex the territory, with Morocco taking control of the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara as its [[Southern Provinces]] and Mauritania taking control of the southern third as [[Tiris al-Gharbiyya]]. Spain terminated its presence in Spanish Sahara within three months, repatriating even Spanish corpses from its cemeteries. The Moroccan and Mauritanian moves, however, met staunch opposition from the Polisario, which had by now gained backing from [[Algeria]]. In 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal due to pressures from Polisario, Morocco extended its control to the rest of the territory, and gradually contained the guerrillas through setting up [[Border Wall (Western Sahara)|the extensive sand-berm in the desert]] to exclude guerilla fighters. Hostilities ceased in a 1991 [[cease-fire]], overseen by the [[peacekeeping]] mission [[United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara|MINURSO]], under the terms of a [[United Nations|UN]] [[Settlement Plan]]. ===Stalling of the referendum and Settlement Plan=== The referendum, originally scheduled for 1992, foresaw giving the local population the option between independence or affirming integration with Morocco, but it quickly stalled. In 1997, the [[Houston Agreement]] attempted to revive the proposal for a referendum, but likewise has hitherto not had success. [[As of 2007]], however, negotiations over terms have not resulted in any substantive action. At the heart of the dispute lies the question of who qualifies to be registered to participate in the referendum, and, since about 2000, Morocco's renewed refusal to accept independence as an option on the referendum ballot combined with Polisario's insistence that independence be a clear option in the referendum. Both sides blame each other for the stalling of the referendum. The Polisario has insisted on allowing to vote only the persons found on the 1974 Spanish Census lists (see below), while Morocco has insisted the census was flawed by evasion and sought the inclusion of members of Sahrawi tribes with recent historical presence in the Spanish Sahara. Efforts by the UN special envoys to find a common ground for both parties did not succeed. By 1999 the UN had identified about 85,000 voters, with nearly half of them in the Moroccan-controlled parts of Western Sahara or Southern Morocco, and the others scattered between the Tindouf refugee camps, Mauritania and other places of exile. Polisario accepted this voter list, as it had done with the previous list presented by the UN (both of them originally based on the Spanish census of 1974), but Morocco refused and, as rejected voter candidates began a mass-appeals procedure, insisted that each application be scrutinized individually. This again brought the process to a halt. According to a NATO delegation, MINURSO election observers stated in 1999, as the deadlock continued, that "if the number of voters does not rise significantly the odds were slightly on the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic|RASD]] side" [http://www.nato-pa.int/archivedpub/trip/as79gsm993-morocco.asp]. By 2001, the process had effectively stalemated and the UN Secretary-General asked the parties for the first time to explore other, third-way solutions. Indeed, shortly after the Houston Agreement (1997), Morocco officially declared that it was "no longer necessary" to include an option of independence on the ballot, offering instead autonomy. [[Erik Jensen]], who played an administrative role in MINURSO, wrote that neither side would agree to a voter registration in which they were destined to lose (see ''[[#Further reading|Western Sahara: Anatomy of a Stalemate]]''). ===Baker Plan=== As personal envoy of the Secretary-General, [[James Baker]] (who also had [[John R. Bolton]] in his delegation) visited all sides and produced the document known as the "[[Baker Plan]]".<ref name="UN_S2000461">{{UN document |docid=S-2000-461 |type=Document |body=Security Council |year=2000 |accessdate=2007-08-10| date=[[22 May]] [[2000]]}}</ref> This was discussed by the [[United Nations Security Council]] in 2000, and envisioned an autonomous '''[[Western Sahara Authority]] (WSA)''', which would be followed after five years by the referendum. Every person present in the territory would be allowed to vote, regardless of birthplace and with no regard to the Spanish census. It was rejected by both sides, although it was initially derived from a Moroccan proposal. According to Baker's draft, tens of thousands of post-annexation immigrants from Morocco proper (viewed by Polisario as settlers, but by Morocco as legitimate inhabitants of the area) would be granted the vote in the Sahrawi independence referendum, and the ballot would be split three-ways by the inclusion of an unspecified "[[autonomous entity|autonomy]]", further undermining the independence camp. Also, Morocco was allowed to keep its army in the area and to retain the control over all security issues during both the autonomy years and the election. In 2002, the Moroccan king stated that the referendum idea was "out of date" since it "can not be implemented";<ref>[http://www.countrywatch.com/facts/facts_default.aspx?type=text&topic=SEWSA CountryWatch - Interesting Facts Of The World<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Polisario retorted that that was only because of the King's refusal to allow it to take place. In 2003, a new version of the plan was made official, with some additions spelling out the powers of the WSA, making it less reliant on the Moroccan [[devolution]]. It also provided further detail on the referendum process in order to make it harder to stall or subvert. This second draft, commonly known as Baker II, was accepted by the Polisario as a "basis of negotiations" to the surprise of many.<ref>Shelley, Toby. ''[http://www.merip.org/mero/mero080103.html Behind the Baker Plan for Western Sahara]'', Middle East Report Online, August 1, 2003. Retrieved August 24, 2006.</ref> This appeared to abandon Polisario's previous position of only negotiating based on the standards of voter identification from 1991 (i.e. the Spanish census). After that, the draft quickly garnered widespread international support, culminating in the UN Security Council's unanimous endorsement of the plan in the summer of 2003. ===Western Sahara today=== Today the Baker II document appears politically redundant, with Baker having resigned his post at the UN in 2004. His resignation followed several months of failed attempts to get Morocco to enter into formal negotiations on the plan, but he met with rejection. The new king, [[Mohammed VI of Morocco]], opposes any referendum on independence, and has said Morocco will never agree to one: "We shall not give up one inch of our beloved Sahara, not a grain of its sand".<ref>[http://www.timesnews.co.ke/04apr06/insight/ins4.html]</ref> Instead, he proposes, through an appointed advisory body [[Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs]] (CORCAS), a [[Self-governance|self-governing]] Western Sahara as an [[autonomous]] community within Morocco. His father, [[Hassan II of Morocco]], initially supported the referendum idea in principle in 1982, and in signed contracts with Polisario and the United Nations in 1991 and 1997; Morocco is thus bound to hold the referendum, but it appears unlikely that any major power will attempt to force its hand. The UN has put forth no replacement strategy after the breakdown of Baker II, and renewed fighting may be a possibility. In 2005, former [[United Nations Secretary-General]] [[Kofi Annan]] reported increased military activity on both sides of the front and breaches of several cease-fire provisions against strengthening military fortifications. Morocco has repeatedly tried to get [[Algeria]] into bilateral negotiations, receiving vocal support from [[France]] and occasionally (and currently) from the [[United States]]. These negotiations would define the exact limits of a Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan rule, but only after Morocco's "inalienable right" to the territory was recognized as a precondition to the talks. The Algerian government has consistently refused, claiming it has neither the will nor the right to negotiate on the behalf of the Polisario Front. Demonstrations and riots by supporters of independence and/or a referendum broke out in the Moroccan-controlled parts of Western Sahara in May 2005, and in parts of southern Morocco (notably the town of [[Assa]]). They were met by police. Several international [[human rights]] organizations have expressed concern at what they termed abuse by Moroccan security forces, and a number of Sahrawi activists have been jailed. Pro-independence Sahrawi sources, including the Polisario, have given these demonstrations the name "[[Independence Intifada]]", while sources supporting the Moroccan claims have attempted to minimize the events as being of limited importance. International press and other media coverage has been sparse, and reporting is complicated by the Moroccan government's policy of strictly controlling independent media coverage within the territory. Demonstrations and protests are still occurring, after Morocco declared in February 2006 that it was contemplating a plan for devolving a limited variant of autonomy to the territory, but still explicitly refused any referendum on independence. As of January 2007, the plan has not been made public, even if the Moroccan government claims that it is more or less completed. [http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/politics/king_informs_governm/view] [http://www.afrol.com/articles/18964]. The Polisario Front has intermittently threatened to resume fighting, referring to the Moroccan refusal of a referendum as a breach of the [[Settlement Plan|cease-fire terms]], but most observers seem to consider armed conflict unlikely without the green light from [[Algeria]], which houses the Sahrawis' refugee camps and has been the main military sponsor of the movement. In April 2007 the government of Morocco has 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 United Nations Security Council in mid-April 2007. The stalemating of the Moroccoan proposal options has led the UN in the recent "Report of the UN Secretary-General" to ask the parties to enter into direct and unconditional negotiations to reach a mutually accepted political solution.[http://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)](ped). UN Security Council. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. ) ==Politics== {{seealso|Politics of Western Sahara|Foreign relations of Morocco}} [[Image:Laayoune-miltary checkpoint.jpg|thumb|Police checkpoint at suburbs of Laayoune.]] The legal status of the territory and the question of its [[sovereignty]] remains unresolved; the territory is contested between [[Morocco]] and [[Polisario Front]]. It is considered a non self-governed territory by the [[United Nations]]. The government of [[Morocco]] is a formally constitutional [[monarchy]] under Mohammed VI with a bicameral [[Parliament of Morocco|parliament]]. The last elections to the lower house were deemed reasonably free and fair by international observers. Certain powers such as the capacity to appoint the government and to dissolve parliament remain in the hands of the monarch. The Morocco-controlled parts of Western Sahara are divided into several [[Southern Provinces|provinces]] treated as integral parts of the kingdom. The Moroccan government heavily subsidizes the Saharan provinces under its control with cut-rate fuel and related subsidies, to appease nationalist dissent and attract immigrants - or settlers - from loyalist Sahrawi and other communities in Morocco proper.<ref name="Thobhani">{{cite book |last= Thobhani |first= Akbarali | title= Western Sahara Since 1975 Under Moroccan Administration: Social, Economic, and Political Transformation | publisher= Edwin Mellen Press |language= English |id=0773471731}}</ref> The [[government in exile|exiled government]] of the self-proclaimed [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] (SADR) is a form of single-party parliamentary and [[president]]ial system, but according to its constitution, this will be changed into a multi-party system at the achievement of independence. It is presently based at the [[Tindouf Province|Tindouf]] [[refugee camp]]s in [[Algeria]], which it controls. It also claims to control the part of Western Sahara to the east of the [[Moroccan Wall]], known as the [[Free Zone (region)|Free Zone]]. This area has a very small population, estimated to be approximately 30,000 nomads.<ref>http://www.nrc.no/arch/_img/9258989.pdf Norwegian Refugee Council Report: Western Sahara, Occupied country, displaced people, 2008</ref> The Moroccan government views it as a [[no-man's land]] patrolled by [[UN]] troops. The SADR government whose troops also patrol the area regard it as the liberated territories and have proclaimed a village in the area, [[Bir Lehlou]] as SADR's provisional capital. ===Human rights=== {{main|Human rights in Western Sahara}} The Western Sahara conflict has resulted in severe [[human rights]] abuses, most notably the [[refugee|displacement]] of tens of thousands of Sahrawi civilians from the country, the expulsion of tens of thousands of Moroccan civilians by the Algerian government from Algeria<ref>[http://www.telquel-online.com/189/couverture_189_1.shtml Maroc/Algérie. Bluff et petites manœuvres], Telquel, not in English</ref><ref>[http://www.aljazeera.net/news/archive/archive?ArchiveId=316911 Aljazeera.net], not in English</ref><ref>[http://www.lagazettedumaroc.com/articles.php?r=7&sr=959&n=409&%20%20id_artl=5975 La "Répudiation massive" de l’Algérie des colonels!] La Gazette Du Maroc, February 28, 2005, not in English</ref><ref>[http://www.maroc-hebdo.press.ma/MHinternet/Archives_435/html_435/jugement.html Jugement Dernier], Maroc Hebdo International, not in English</ref><ref>[http://cinemanageria.ifrance.com/cine_maroc/films_marocains/82.htm#drame Le Drame des 40.000], cinemanageria.ifrance.com, not in English</ref><ref>[http://www.usfp.ma/article.php?t=4&id=46 Mohamed ELYAZGHI au Matin du Sahara: Solution politique au Sahara et refondation de nos relations avec Alger], USFP, not in English</ref><ref>[http://www.minorites.org/article.php?IDA=7531 La mal-vie des Marocains d'Algérie], Minorités.org</ref><ref>[http://www.ambafrance-ma.org/presse/index.cfm?pjour=1&jr=20060728 Revue de Presse des Quotidiens]</ref>, and numerous casualties of war and repression. During the war years (1975-91), both sides accused each other of targeting [[civilian]]s. Moroccan claims of Polisario [[terrorism]] has generally little to no support abroad, with the [[United States|USA]], [[EU]] and [[UN]] all refusing to include the group on their [[U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations|lists]] of terrorist organizations. Polisario leaders maintain that they are ideologically opposed to terrorism, and insist that collective punishment and [[forced disappearance]]s among Sahrawi civilians [http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2001.nsf/webmepcountries/MOROCCO+AND+WESTERN+SAHARA?OpenDocument] should be considered [[state terrorism]] on the part of Morocco [http://www.arso.org/akhbar2.htm]. Both Morocco and the Polisario additionally accuse each other of violating the human rights of the populations under their control, in the [[Southern Provinces|Moroccan-controlled parts of Western Sahara]] and the [[Tindouf]] refugee camps in [[Algeria]], respectively. Morocco and organizations such as [[France Libertés]] consider Algeria to be directly responsible for any crimes committed on its territory, and accuse the country of having been directly involved in such violations.<ref name="Tindouf1">http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040929/2004092916.html Morocco's Memorandum to UN unveils Algiers' responsibility in Sahara conflict, political parties], Arabic News, Morocco-Algeria, Politics, September 29, 2004</ref> * Morocco has been repeatedly criticized for its actions in Western Sahara by international human rights organizations such as [[Amnesty International]] [http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/Mar-summary-eng] [http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/morocco_and_western_sahara/index.do] [http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/mar-summary-eng], [[Human Rights Watch]] [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/10/morocc12183.htm] [http://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/Wsahara.htm] and the [[World Organization Against Torture]] [http://www.omct.org/base.cfm?page=article&num=6130&consol=close&kwrd=OMCT&cfid=4407045&cftoken=75311945] [http://www.omct.org/base.cfm?page=article&num=5983&consol=close&kwrd=OMCT&cfid=4407045&cftoken=75311945&SWITCHLNG=ES] [http://www.omct.org/base.cfm?page=article&num=6233&consol=close&kwrd=OMCT&cfid=4407045&cftoken=75311945&SWITCHLNG=FR], [[Freedom House]] [http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=7106], [[Reporters Without Borders]] [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=14119], the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] and the [[OHCHR|UN High Commissioner for Human Rights]] [http://www.arso.org/OHCHRrep2006en.pdf] * Polisario has received criticism from the French organization [http://www.france-libertes.fr France Libertes] on its treatment of Moroccan [[prisoners-of-war]]<ref>[http://freethemnow.org/FranceLiberte.pdf The Conditions of Detentions of the Moroccan POWs Detained in Tindouf (Algeria)]</ref>, and on its general behaviour in the Tindouf refugee camps in reports by the [[Belgian]] organization [http://www.esisc.org ESISC], or [[European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center]].<ref>[http://www.esisc.eu/THE%20POLISARIO%20FRONT.pdf The Polisario Front – Credible Negotiations Partner or After Effect of the Cold War and Obstacle to a Political Solution in Western Sahara?]</ref><ref>[http://www.esisc.org/POLISARIO%20ENG.pdf Report of an independent Committee of inquiry into allegations of violations of Human Rights against the Polisario Front]</ref><ref>[http://www.esisc.org/Sahrawi%20refugees.pdf SAHRAWI REFUGEES: CAUGHT BETWEEN A HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE AND POLITICAL MANIPULATION(S)]</ref>. A number of [[Polisario defections|former Polisario officials]] who have defected to Morocco accuse the organisation of abuse of human rights and sequestration of the population in Tindouf<ref>[http://www.albayane.ma/Detail.asp?article_id=58890 Gajmoula Ebbi raconte son aventure avec le Polisario, ses rêves, son calvaire et ses attentes (4)]</ref><ref>[http://www.albayane.ma/Detail.asp?article_id=58950&categorie=National Gajmoula Ebbi raconte son aventure avec le Polisario, ses rêves, son calvaire et ses attentes (5)]</ref><ref>[http://www.mincom.gov.ma/french/reg_vil/regions/sahara/actualite/archive/1999/Guerredeclans.htm Guerre de clans et scission inévitable à Tindouf, selon trois ex-responsables du ''Polisario'' ayant regagné le Maroc]</ref><ref>[http://www.maroc-hebdo.press.ma/MHinternet/Archives_584/html_584/geoliers.html Les geôliers de Tindouf mis à nu]</ref><ref>[http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=15779 Polisario leadership lives in wealth to detriment of camps' populations, former Polisario member]</ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/News/fr-press/docs/1996/19961010.CPSD108.html QUATRIEME COMMISSION: LE MAROC RESTE ATTACHE AU PLAN DE REGLEMENT ET A LA TENUE D'UN REFERENDUM TRANSPARENT AU SAHARA OCCIDENTAL]</ref><ref>[http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/991105/1999110536.html Report: Clan wars and unavoidable scission in Tindouf, defectors]</ref><ref>[http://www.albayane.ma/Detail.asp?article_id=58550 Mustapha Bouh, ex-membre du Bureau politique : «L¹histoire du «Polisario» est jalonnée de purges impitoyables»]</ref>. ==Regions== [[Image:Westernsaharamap.png|thumb|260px]] Three Moroccan regions overlap the territory of Western Sahara: * [[Guelmim-Es Semara]] – also includes Moroccan territory outside of Western Sahara * [[Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra]] * [[Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira]] ==Dispute== {{main|Legal status of Western Sahara}} The Western Sahara was partitioned between [[Morocco]] and [[Mauritania]] in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring the northern two-thirds of the territory.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wi.html CIA: The World Factbook: 2006. ‘Western Sahara’, 266.</ref> When Mauritania, under pressure from [[Polisario]] guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979, Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control over the whole territory.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wi.html CIA: The World Factbook: 2006. ‘Western Sahara’, 266.</ref> The official Moroccan government name for Western Sahara is the "Southern Provinces", which indicates Río de Oro and Saguia el-Hamra. Not under control of the Moroccan government is the area that lies between the [[Border Wall (Western Sahara)|border wall]] and the actual border with [[Algeria]]. (for map [http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/dpko/minurso.pdf] see external links) The Polisario Front claims to run this as the Free Zone on behalf of the [[SADR]]. The area is patrolled by [[Polisario]] forces <ref> http://www.newint.org/issue297/wall.html "Up Against the Wall", Chris Brazier, New Internationalist Magazine (297), December 1998 {{Verify credibility|New Internationalist Magazine |date=July 2007}}</ref>, and access is restricted, even among Sahrawis, due to the harsh climate of the [[Sahara]], the military conflict and the abundance of [[land mines]].<ref> *Land Mine Report, Western Sahara, http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/western_sahara.html Landmine Action UK undertook preliminary survey work by visiting the Polisario-controlled area of Western Sahara in October 2005 and February-March 2006. A field assessment in the vicinity of Bir Lahlou, Tifariti and the berms revealed that the densest concentrations of mines are in front of the berms. Mines were laid in zigzags up to one meter apart, and in some parts of the berms, there are three rows of mines.[15] There are also berms in the Moroccan-controlled zone, around Dakhla and stretching from Boujdour, including Smara on the Moroccan border.[16] However, mine-laying was not restricted to the vicinity of the berms; occupied settlements throughout the Polisario-controlled areas, such as Bir Lahlou and Tifariti, are ringed by mines laid by Moroccan forces. *Landmine Action UK, ( http://www.landmineaction.org/resources.asp?item=research )“Explosive Ordnance Disposal and technical survey in Polisario-controlled areas of Western Sahara,” Project proposal, February 2006, p. 2 - 4, quoted in Land Mine Report, Western Sahara, http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/western_sahara.html , footnote 15 and 17 </ref> Still, the area is traveled and inhabited by many Sahrawi [[nomad]]s from the [[Tindouf]] [[refugee camp]]s of [[Algeria]] and the Sahrawi communities in [[Mauritania]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Both Moroccan and [[United Nations]] [[MINURSO]] forces are also present in the area. The UN forces oversee the [[cease-fire]] between Polisario and Morocco agreed upon in the 1991. [[Settlement Plan]].<ref> http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minurso/mandate.html MINURSO homepage - mandate Accessed May 21, 2006 </ref>. The Polisario forces (of the [[Polisario Front#Armed Forces (SPLA)|Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, SPLA]]) in the area are divided into seven "military regions", each controlled by a top commander reporting to the [[President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic|President of the Polisario proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]]<ref> * http://www.arso.org/bhatia2001.htm Western Sahara under Polisario Control: Summary Report of Field Mission to the Sahrawi Refugee Camps (near Tindouf, Algeria) by Michael Bhatia, 2001 {{Verify credibility|www.arso.org|date=July 2007}} * http://www.newint.org/issue297/wall.html "Up Against the Wall", Chris Brazier, New Internationalist Magazine (297), December 1998 {{Verify credibility|New Internationalist Magazine|date=July 2007}} * http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/book-2056 (retrieved on 20 November 2006) Michael Palin, "Sahara with Michael Palin" ISBN 0-297-84303-6, 2002 </ref> {{Failed verification|date=February 2007}}. The total size of the Polisario's [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] army present in this area is unknown, but it is believed to number a few thousand men, despite many combantants being demobilized due to the [[cease-fire]]<ref> http://www.arso.org/bhatia2001.htm Western Sahara under Polisario Control: Summary Report of Field Mission to the Sahrawi Refugee Camps (near Tindouf, Algeria) by Michael Bhatia, 2001 {{Verify credibility|www.arso.org|date=July 2007}}</ref>. These forces are dug into permanent positions, such as gun emplacements, defensive trenches and underground military bases, as well as conducting mobile patrols of the territory.<ref> * http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4132213,00.html "Saharan rebels stranded in camps, casualties of the stalemate between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario rebels; 100,000 refugees subsist on aid." by Rory Carroll in Tifarity, Guardian, Wednesday February 7, 2001 * http://www.newint.org/issue297/wall.html New Internationalist, Chris Brazier, "Up Against the Wall", New Internationalist Magazine (297), December 1998 {{Verify credibility|New Internationalist Magazine |date=July 2007}} * http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/book-2056 Michael Palin, "Sahara with Michael Palin" ISBN 0-297-84303-6, 2002 (retrieved on 20 November 2006)</ref> {{Failed verification|date=February 2007}} [[Image:Tifariti 2005.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tifariti]], 2005]] Major Sahrawi political events, such as [[Polisario Front#Structure|Polisario congresses]] and sessions of the [[Sahrawi National Council]] (the SADR parliament in exile) are held in the Free Zone (especially in [[Tifariti]] and Bir Lehlou), since it is considered politically and symbolically important to conduct political affairs on Sahrawi territory. A concentration of forces for the commemoration of the Saharawi Republic’s 30th anniversary <ref> http://www.spsrasd.info/sps-e270206.html Commemoration of the Saharawi Republic’s 30th anniversary in liberated territories of Western Sahara Sahara Press Service, February 27, 2006 {{Verify credibility|www.spsrasd.info|date=July 2007}}</ref> were however subject to condemnation by the [[United Nations]]<ref name="UN_S2006249">{{UN document |docid=S-2006-249 |type=Document |body=Security Council |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-08-10 |date=[[19 April]] [[2006]]}}</ref>, as it was considered an example of a cease-fire violation to bring such a large force concentration into the area. Both parties have been accused of such violations by the UN, but to date there has been no serious hostile action from either side since 1991. Annual demonstrations against the Moroccan Wall are staged in the region by Sahrawis and international activists from [[Spain]], [[Italy]] and other mainly [[Europe]]an countries. These actions are closely monitored by the UN.<ref> http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/2006/249 Secretary General's report to Security Council on Western Sahara , 19 April 2006 (pdf file) </ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2007}} During the joint Moroccan-Mauritanian control of the area, the Mauritanian-controlled part, roughly corresponding to Saquia el-Hamra, was known as [[Tiris al-Gharbiyya]]. ==Geography== {{main|Geography of Western Sahara}} [[Image:El Aaiún 13.22342W 27.14668N.png|thumb|NASA photo of El Aaiún.]] Western Sahara is located in Northern [[Africa]], bordering the North [[Atlantic Ocean]], between [[Mauritania]] and [[Morocco]]. It also borders [[Algeria]] to the northeast. The land is some of the most arid and inhospitable on the planet, but is rich in [[phosphate]]s in [[Bou Craa]]. ==Economy== {{main|Economy of Western Sahara}} Aside from its rich [[phosphate]] deposits and [[fishing]] waters, Western Sahara has few natural resources and lacks sufficient rainfall for most agricultural activities. There is speculation that there may be rich off-shore [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[natural gas]] fields, but the debate persists as to whether these resources can be profitably exploited, and if this would be legally permitted due to the non-[[decolonization|decolonized]] status of Western Sahara (see below). Western Sahara's economy is centred around [[nomad]]ic [[herding]], fishing, and phosphate mining. Most food for the urban population is imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan government. The government has encouraged citizens to relocate to the territory by giving [[subsidies]] and [[price control]]s on basic goods. These heavy subsidies have created a state-dominated economy in the Moroccan-controlled parts of Western Sahara, with the Moroccan government as the single biggest employer. ===Exploitation debate=== After reasonably exploitable oil fields were located in neighbouring Mauritania, speculation intensified on the possibility of major oil resources being located off the coast of Western Sahara. Despite the fact that findings remain inconclusive, both Morocco and the Polisario have made deals with oil and gas exploration companies. US and French companies (notably [[Total S.A.|Total]] and [[Kerr-McGee]]) began prospecting on behalf of Morocco. {{MapLibrary|Western_Sahara_sat.png|Western Sahara}} In 2002, [[Hans Corell]], Under-Secretary General of the [[United Nations]] and head of its [[Office of Legal Affairs]] issued a legal opinion on the matter.<ref name="UN_S2002161">{{UN document |docid=S-2002-161 |type=Document |body=Security Council |year=2002 |accessdate=2007-08-10 |date=[[12 February]] [[2002]]}}</ref> This opinion stated that while ''exploration'' of the area was permitted, ''exploitation'' was not, on the basis that Morocco is not a recognized administrative power of the territory, and thus lacks the capacity to issue such licenses. After pressures from corporate ethics-groups, Total S.A. pulled out. In May 2006 the remaining company Kerr-McGee also left following sales of numerous share holders like the National Norwegian Oil Fund, due to continued pressure from NGOs and corporate groups. Despite the UN report and the development regarding the exploration of oil, the European Union wants to exploit fishing resources in waters outside Western Sahara and has signed a fishing treaty with Morocco. ==Demographics== {{main|Demographics of Western Sahara}} The indigenous population of Western Sahara is known as [[Sahrawi]]s. These are [[Hassaniya]]-speaking tribes of mixed [[Arab]]-[[Berber people|Berber]] heritage, effectively continuations of the [[tribe|tribal]] groupings of Hassaniya speaking [[Moors|Moor]]ish tribes extending south into [[Mauritania]] and north into [[Morocco]] as well as east into [[Algeria]]. The Sahrawis are traditionally [[nomad]]ic [[bedouin]]s, and can be found in all surrounding countries. War and conflict has led to major displacements of the population. As of July 2004, an estimated 267,405 people (excluding the Moroccan army of some 160,000) live in the [[Moroccan]]-controlled parts of Western Sahara. Morocco has engaged in "Moroccanization" of the area, bringing in large numbers of settlers in anticipation of a UN-administered referendum on independence{{Fact|date=August 2007}}. While many of them are from [[:Category:Sahrawi tribes|Sahrawi tribal groups]] extending up into southern Morocco, some are also non-Sahrawi Moroccans from other regions{{Fact|date=August 2007}}. The settler population is today thought to outnumber the indigenous Western Sahara Sahrawis. The precise size and composition of the population is subject to political controversy. The Polisario-controlled parts of Western Sahara are barren. This area has a very small population, estimated to be approximately 30,000.<ref>http://www.nrc.no/arch/_img/9258989.pdf Norwegian Refugee Council Report: Western Sahara, Occupied country, + displaced people, 2008</ref> The population is primarily made up of nomads who engage in herding [[camel]]s back and forth between the [[Tindouf]] area and [[Mauritania]]. However, the presence of mines scattered throughout the territory by both the Polisario and the Moroccan army makes it a dangerous way of life. ===The Spanish census and MINURSO=== A 1974 Spanish census claimed there were some 74,000 Sahrawis in the area at the time (in addition to approximately 20,000 Spanish residents), but this number is likely to be on the low side, due to the difficulty in counting a nomad people, even if Sahrawis were by the mid-1970s mostly urbanized. Despite these possible inaccuracies, Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed on using the Spanish census as the basis for voter registration when striking a [[cease-fire]] argeement in the late 1980s, contingent on the holding of a referendum on independence or integration into Morocco. In December of 1999 the United Nations' [[MINURSO]] mission announced that it had identified 86,425 eligible voters for the referendum that was supposed to be held under the 1991 [[Settlement plan]] and the 1997 [[Houston accords]]. By "eligible voter" the UN referred to any Sahrawi over 18 years of age that was part of the Spanish census or could prove his/her descent from someone who was. These 86,425 Sahrawis were dispersed between Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and the refugee camps in Algeria, with smaller numbers in Mauritania and other places of exile. These numbers cover only Sahrawis 'indigenous' to the Western Sahara during the Spanish colonial period, not the total number of "ethnic" Sahrawis (i.e, members of Sahrawi tribal groupings), who also extend into Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria. The number was highly politically significant due to the expected organization of a referendum on self-determination. The Polisario has its home base in the [[Tindouf|Tindouf refugee camps]] in Algeria, and declares the number of Sahrawi population in the camps to be approximately 155,000. Morocco disputes this number, saying it is exaggerated for political reasons and for attracting more foreign aid. The UN uses a number of 90,000 "most vulnerable" refugees as basis for its food aid program. ==Culture== {{main|Culture of Western Sahara}} The major ethnic group of the Western Sahara are the [[Sahrawi]]s, a [[nomad]]ic or [[Bedouin]] tribal or ethnic group speaking [[Hassaniya|Hassānīya]] dialect of [[Arabic language|Arabic]], also spoken in much of [[Mauritania]]. They are of mixed Arab-Berber descent, but claim descent from the [[Beni Hassan]], a [[Yemeni]] tribe supposed to have migrated across the desert in the 11th century. Physically indistinguishable from the Hassaniya speaking [[Moors]] of Mauritania, the Sahrawi people differ from their neighbors partly due to different tribal affiliations (as tribal confederations cut across present modern boundaries) and partly as a consequence of their exposure to [[Spain|Spanish]] [[colonialism|colonial]] domination. Surrounding territories were generally under French colonial rule. Like other neighboring Saharan Bedouin and Hassaniya groups, the Sahrawis are [[Muslim]]s of the [[Sunni]] sect and the [[Maliki]] law school. Local religious custom [['urf]] is, like other Saharan groups, heavily influenced by pre-Islamic Berber and [[Africa]]n practices, and differs substantially from urban practices. For example, Sahrawi [[Islam]] has traditionally functioned without [[mosque]]s in the normal sense of the word, in an adaptation to nomadic life. The originally [[clan]]- and [[tribe]]-based society underwent a massive social upheaval in 1975, when a part of the population was forced into [[exile]] and settled in the [[refugee]] camps of [[Tindouf]], Algeria. Families were broken up by the fight. For developments among this population, see [[Sahrawi]] and [[Tindouf Province]]. The Moroccan government considerably invested in the social and economic development of the Moroccan controlled Western Sahara with special emphasis on education, modernisation and infrastructure. El-Aaiun in particular has been the target of heavy government investment, and has grown rapidly. Several thousand Sahrawis study in Moroccan universities. Literacy rates are appreciated at some 50% of the population. To date, there have been few thorough studies of the culture due in part to the political situation. Some language and culture studies, mainly by [[France|French]] researchers, have been performed on Sahrawi communities in northern Mauritania. ==See also== {{portal}} *[[Communications in Western Sahara]] *[[List of cities in Morocco and Western Sahara]] *[[MINURSO]] *[[Music of Western Sahara]] *[[Transportation in Western Sahara]] *[[Sahraoui Scout Association]] ==Notes and references== '''Cited references''' {{Reflist}} '''General references''' *Tony Hodges (1983), ''Western Sahara: The Roots of a Desert War'', Lawrence Hill Books (ISBN 0-88208-152-7) *Anthony G. Pazzanita and Tony Hodges (1994), ''Historical Dictionary of Western Sahara'', Scarecrow Press (ISBN 0-8108-2661-5) *Toby Shelley (2004), ''Endgame in the Western Sahara: What Future for Africa's Last Colony?'', Zed Books (ISBN 1-84277-341-0) *Erik Jensen (2005), ''Western Sahara: Anatomy of a Stalemate'', International Peace Studies (ISBN 1-58826-305-3) </div> ==External links== {{sisterlinks|Western Sahara}} ===Overviews=== *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/3466917.stm BBC - Country profile: ''Western Sahara''] *[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wi.html CIA World Factbook - ''Western Sahara''] *[http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Western_Sahara Open Directory Project - ''Western Sahara''] directory category ===News=== *[http://allafrica.com/westernsahara/ allAfrica.com - ''Western Sahara'' news headline links] *[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-update The Yahoo! Sahara Update group] ===Special topics=== *[http://www.icbl.org/lm/2003/western_sahara.html Western Sahara, Landmine Monitor Report 2003] *{{PDF|[http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/mediterranean_quarterly/v015/15.3mundy.pdf Jacob Mundy - "Seized of the Matter". The UN and the Western Sahara Dispute.]}} On the [[Baker Plan]] debate *[http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~e118/wsahara.htm Western Sahara Project: archaeology and past environmental change in Western Sahara] ===Maps=== * http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/dpko/minurso.pdf Minurso Deployment as of October 2006, Map No. 3691 Rev. 53 United Nations, October 2006 (Colour), Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Cartographic Section ===Tourism=== *{{wikitravel}} ===Other=== *[http://www.arso.org/ Association de soutien à un référendum libre et régulier au Sahara Occidental, a multilingual resource] *[http://www.mincom.gov.ma/english/reg_cit/regions/sahara/sahara.html Moroccan Governmental site] *[http://www.wsahara.net/ Western Sahara Online (pro-Polisario)] *[http://www.westernsaharaonline.net/ Western Sahara Online (pro-Morocco)] *[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/ Sahara-Update · News from and about Western Sahara] *{{PDF|[http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/suttonlink/334ws.pdf Western Sahara - A Forgotten Country!]|99.8&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 102253 bytes -->}} {{clear}} <!--{{Dependent and other territories of Africa}}--> {{Afro-Asiatic-speaking}} [[Category:Western Sahara| ]] [[Category:Disputed territories]] [[Category:Former Spanish colonies]] [[Category:Proposed countries]] [[Category:Arabic-speaking countries]] [[af:Wes-Sahara]] [[am:ምዕራባዊ ሣህራ]] [[ar:صحراء غربية]] [[an:Sajara Ozidental]] [[frp:Sahara occidentâl]] [[ast:Saḥara Occidental]] [[zh-min-nan:Sai Sahara]] [[be-x-old:Заходняя Сахара]] [[bo:ནུབ་སར་ཧ་ལ]] [[bs:Zapadna Sahara]] [[br:Sahara ar C'hornôg]] [[bg:Западна Сахара]] [[ca:Sàhara Occidental]] [[cs:Západní Sahara]] [[cy:Gorllewin Sahara]] [[da:Vestsahara]] [[de:Westsahara]] [[dv:ހުޅަނގު ސަހަރާ]] [[et:Lääne-Sahara]] [[el:Δυτική Σαχάρα]] [[es:Sahara Occidental]] [[eo:Okcidenta Saharo]] [[eu:Mendebaldeko Sahara]] [[fa:صحرای غربی]] [[fo:Vestursahara]] [[fr:Sahara occidental]] [[fy:Westlike Sahara]] [[gd:Sathara an Iar]] [[ko:서사하라]] [[hsb:Zapadna Sahara]] [[hr:Zapadna Sahara]] [[bpy:ৱেস্টার্ন সাহারা]] [[id:Sahara Barat]] [[is:Vestur-Sahara]] [[it:Sahara Occidentale]] [[he:סהרה המערבית]] [[jv:Sahara Kulon]] [[ka:დასავლეთი საჰარა]] [[kk:Батыс Сахар]] [[kw:Sahara West]] [[sw:Sahara ya Magharibi]] [[ht:Sahara oksidantal]] [[ku:Sahraya Rojava]] [[la:Sahara Occidentalis]] [[lv:Rietumsahāra]] [[lt:Vakarų Sachara]] [[lij:Sahara Oççidentâ]] [[ln:Sahara ya Limbɛ]] [[hu:Nyugat-Szahara]] [[mk:Западна Сахара]] [[ml:പശ്ചിമ സഹാറ]] [[ms:Sahara Barat]] [[nl:Westelijke Sahara]] [[ja:西サハラ]] [[no:Vest-Sahara]] [[nn:Vest-Sahara]] [[nov:Westi Sahara]] [[oc:Sahara Occidental]] [[ps:لوېديځه صحارا]] [[pl:Sahara Zachodnia]] [[pt:Saara Ocidental]] [[crh:Ğarbiy Sahara]] [[ro:Sahara Occidentală]] [[qu:Kunti Sahara]] [[ru:Западная Сахара]] [[se:Oarje-Sahára]] [[scn:Sahara Uccidintali]] [[simple:Western Sahara]] [[sk:Západná Sahara]] [[sl:Zahodna Sahara]] [[sr:Западна Сахара]] [[sh:Zapadna Sahara]] [[fi:Länsi-Sahara]] [[sv:Västsahara]] [[tl:Kanlurang Sahara]] [[th:เวสเทิร์นสะฮารา]] [[vi:Tây Sahara]] [[tg:Саҳрои Ғарбӣ]] [[tr:Batı Sahra]] [[uk:Західна Сахара]] [[vo:Vesüda-Saharän]] [[wa:Sara coûtchantrece]] [[wo:Sahara gu Sowwu]] [[zh:西撒哈拉]]