Western Sahara is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. It has been a disputed territory since 1975. Morocco controls 80% of the land, while the remaining 20% is controlled by the Polisario, an independence movement established in 1973, and the government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Presently, camps run by the Cuban-backed Polisario Front exist in southern Algeria, where thousands of indigenous Sahrawi people are sequestered and treated inhumanely. Public beatings are common and young children are taken from their families and sent to Cuba for re-education.

Laos is one of the world’s few remaining communist states, enduring as a one-party socialist Marxist republic supported financially by China and Vietnam. Economic progress was made in the last few years, with poverty, education, and health outcomes improved, but COVID-19 has significantly set back the pace of this growth. At one point, persecution of Christian Believers was mandated by the federal government, however, their stance has changed over the last two decades.