Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Spanish Sahara

Data code: WI

Government type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; 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; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented September 6, 1991. The Moroccan Wall divides the area, with three quarters on the west controlled by Morocco, and one quarter on the east (which is almost uninhabited) controlled by Polisario (maps: [1] (http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/dpko/minurso.pdf), [2] (http://www.sahara-occidental.com/images/cartes/cartesop.gif), [3] (http://www.cidi.nl/img/isnbr/2004-nb1.jpg)). The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Peoples Liberation Front of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro) is an army and political movement in the Western Sahara, principally... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... Flag of the Organisation of African Unity, later also used by the African Union. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... The Moroccan Wall, dubbed by the Sahrawis The Wall of Shame, is a 2,500km-long system of defensive walls, known as berms: sand walls about three meters in height with bunkers, fences and landmines, running mainly through the Morocco-occupied Western Sahara. ...

Under a 2003 UN plan drawn up by James Baker, the Western Sahara would have immediate autonomy during a five-year transition period to prepare for a referendum, offering the inhabitants of the territory a choice between independence, autonomy within Morocco or complete integration with Morocco. Polisario has accepted the plan, but Morocco has rejected it. James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930), American politician and diplomat, was Chief of Staff in the President Ronald Reagans first administration, and Secretary of State in the administration of President George H. W. Bush and as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1985 to 1988 in... Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else. ...

Capital: none

Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Suffrage: none; a UN sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed. The population participates in countrywide and regional moroccan elections.

Executive branch: none

International organization participation: none

See also

• Foreign_relations_of_Morocco#Western Sahara
• MINURSO