Relationship dossier
Libya
Western Sahara
Relationship assessment
Historical Libyan support for the Sahrawi cause; reciprocal government engagement is unclear.
Libya toward Western Sahara
+35Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan government recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and provided political and material support to the Polisario Front. The scope and continuity of that support after Libya's 2011 revolution are unclear.
Western Sahara toward Libya
Not assessedOverall relationship
Not assessedHow to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Libya under Muammar Gaddafi supported the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, including through recognition and political and material backing. The Western Sahara conflict remains unresolved, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic exercises governance over only part of the territory it claims. Specific reciprocal Sahrawi government conduct toward Libya is unclear.
Key developments
Libya under Muammar Gaddafi recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and continuity of Libyan political and material support after the 2011 revolution are unclear.
- Specific Sahrawi government cooperation with Libya and its implementation are unclear.