Relationship dossier
Sweden
Western Sahara
Relationship assessment
Sweden supports a UN-led process and humanitarian assistance, but has not recognized the SADR.
Sweden toward Western Sahara
+5Sweden supports a UN-led process for Western Sahara and has provided humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugees. In 2016, the Swedish government declined to recognize the SADR despite a 2012 parliamentary call to do so.
Western Sahara toward Sweden
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
Sweden supports a UN-led process for Western Sahara and has provided humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugees. It has not recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); in 2016 the Swedish government declined to follow a 2012 parliamentary call for recognition. Information about the SADR government's direct policy toward Sweden is limited.
Areas of tension
- Sweden's decision not to recognize the SADR, following a parliamentary call for recognition, remains a bilateral policy issue.
Key developments
The Swedish parliament called on the government to recognize the SADR.
The Swedish government declined to recognize the SADR.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and channels of Swedish assistance to Sahrawi refugees are unclear.
- Details of direct contacts between the SADR government and Sweden are limited.