Honduras has decided to suspend its recognition of self-proclaimed “SADR”, dealing another blow to the Algerian regime and its Polisario proxy separatist group as the UN Security Council is preparing to hold meetings on the Sahara.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita, Honduras top diplomat described the move as a “sovereign decision” taken in line with he country’s commitment to the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States.
The Government of Honduras has reaffirmed its full support for the efforts engaged by UN Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for reaching a political, just and lasting solution to the Sahara issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 2797 endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan in the Sahara under the Kingdom’s sovereignty.
The timing is notably adverse for the Polisario. Honduras had originally recognized the self-proclaimed entity in 1989, reaffirmed that position in 2022, and is now reversing course as a direct consequence of sovereign foreign policy review. The move marks the sixth withdrawal of recognition in approximately two years, a pace of diplomatic attrition that Moroccan officials have described as reflecting an irreversible global trajectory.
The Latin American dimension is particularly significant. The region was once a stronghold of support for the Polisario, built on Cold War-era anti-colonial solidarity and sustained by intensive Algerian diplomatic lobbying. That coalition has disintegrated rapidly. Ecuador withdrew its recognition in October 2024; Panama — the first country ever to recognize the entity, in 1978 — subsequently suspended relations; and Bolivia suspended all diplomatic ties in February 2026. Several other countries in Latin America including Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Paraguay…support Morocco’s territorial integrity and Autonomy plan for the Sahara. In Africa, where most countries recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, Mali, which had recognized the Polisario since 1980, formally withdrew its recognition just two weeks before the Honduran announcement.
Of the Latin American nations that once formed the core of the Polisario’s diplomatic support base, very few maintain formal ties with the front. No new country has extended recognition to the entity since 2011, and the trajectory of withdrawals shows no sign of reversing. Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for its southern provinces now has the expressed support of more than 110 UN member states.
With its proactive diplomacy and soft-power, Rabat has gained the support of this region, which was once a stronghold for the Polisario Front. Morocco’s resilience, persistence and hard-work have always paid-off against its enemies.
