Western Sahara

Western Sahara, or the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (RASD), is the former Spanish Sahara, bordered by Morocco and Mauritania. With the end of Spanish control in 1975, war broke out between the local Polisario Front and Morocco. After a long war, a cease-fire was negotiated by the UN in 1991 which has held since. Morocco has administered most of the Western Sahara since, so postal services from the country are Moroccan.

Meanwhile, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has issued stamps, likely in a publicity move. So, their stamps fall into the cinderella category since they apparently do not do postal duty.  File:RASD flower defin.jpg|1992 10p definitive File:RASD leopard.jpg|1997 40p leopard 
 * Its first issue was released in 1990. They were inscribed SAHARA OCCID. R.A.S.D. They were denominated in Spanish pesetas.
 * Many topical issues followed.
 * In 1992, a definitive series showing native plants and animals was released.
 * In 1997, inscriptions were changed to REPUBLICA SAHARAUI.

Golowes considers these to be illegal stamps, except that the illegal listings have been made by Morocco. The editor feels this is a more complicated issue than a declaration of a Morocco that has refused a referendum on Western Sahara for many years now. Do not forget that the RASD controls a very sparsely populated 20% of the area though apparently does not provide postal services there. See:

the Golowes Western Sahara pages

There have been a few clearly bogus issues with oddball inscriptions that have appeared in the 2000s.

[[Category:W]]