Senegal Officially Endorses Macky Sall for UN Secretary-General Candidacy

Dakar’s Official Endorsement of Macky Sall for the United Nations

The Senegalese government officially announced its support for former President Macky Sall’s candidacy for the United Nations Secretary-General position on July 20, 2026. This move marks a significant shift in Dakar’s diplomatic stance, occurring just three days after Sall met with his successor, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in the capital. The announcement was issued by the Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs, as reported by Senego, and followed a meeting where the two men exchanged views on the candidacy. According to Le Monde Afrique, the two leaders had not met since the transition of power on April 2, 2024.

Diplomatic Pivot in Dakar

The decision to back Macky Sall’s bid for the top UN post represents a notable reversal for the administration of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Since taking office in 2024, the current government has maintained a critical posture toward the former president, who served from 2012 to 2024. The administration has accused his tenure of being marked by violent political repression that resulted in dozens of deaths, as well as the concealment of unfavorable economic data. President Faye rose to power in 2024, fueled by a surge of anti-Sall sentiment. Following his election defeat, Macky Sall had immediately left Senegal with his family to reside in Morocco.

However, the Friday meeting between the two leaders signaled a change in trajectory. The entourage of President Faye indicated that Sall had come to inform the head of state of the progress of his candidacy. By Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that President Faye had decided the state would provide its “total support.” The president gave instructions to the government and to the entire Senegalese diplomatic network to promote his candidacy to the UN member states, the ministry stated. As Dakar actu noted, the announcement marks a turning point, as the candidacy—previously carried by Burundi without official support from Senegal—now benefits fully from the Senegalese diplomatic apparatus ahead of a July 23 audition in New York.

Evariste Ndayishimiye and the African Union Commission’s Approval Process

Challenges for the UN Secretary-General Bid

Macky Sall is currently one of six candidates in the running to succeed Antonio Guterres, who is stepping down at the end of the year after two terms. While the campaign is ongoing, the candidacy has stirred controversy both within Senegal and across the continent. According to the daily newspaper Libération, the African Union (AU) Commission had previously moved to support the bid. The bureau of the AU Commission assembly, chaired by Evariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi and president of the UA, transmitted a draft decision for approval via a silence procedure. The commission indicated that if no objection was received from more than a third of member states by the end of March 27, 2026, the decision would be deemed adopted by consensus.

Paul-Simon Handy, director Afrique de l’Est of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, stated that while a candidate does not strictly require the official support of the AU, the political stakes remain high. A new vote requested by Dakar [at the African Union] would become, in the event of rejection, a stone in the diplomatic path, until now strategically well-led, of Macky Sall, he explained.

Ousmane Sonko and the Pastef Party’s Opposition to the Candidacy

Political Tensions and Strategic Alliances

The decision to support the former president has met with internal friction. For the Pastef party, led by Ousmane Sonko, the gesture of openness from President Faye toward their former common enemy constitutes a “new affront,” and the French daily Le Monde Afrique noted that the rupture is consumed between the two men. Conversely, some political figures see the alignment as a necessary pragmatic step. The president of the FARLU party (African Forces for Renaissance, Liberty and Unity), who is also a member of the Conference of Leaders of the Diomaye President coalition, argued that supporting Sall is a patriotic and pan-African choice. He asserted that in the current political context, it is the duty of every Senegalese citizen to move beyond partisan interests for the higher good of the nation and the continent.

Adama Barrow and the Diplomatic Tour of Gambian State House

Upcoming Diplomatic Milestones

Macky Sall has been actively touring to secure regional backing, including a recent visit to the State House in Banjul, where he was received by Gambian President Adama Barrow. During the audience, Sall presented the main orientations of his candidacy and insisted on the necessity for African countries to speak with one voice on major international issues. As Africans, we must work together and focus our efforts on the key pillars of the UN: peace and security, human rights and sustainable development, the former head of state declared. This visit is part of a series of diplomatic consultations aimed at mobilizing broad support in Africa and beyond. With the July 23 audition approaching, the former president continues his diplomatic offensive to convince the remaining member states of his viability as the next UN Secretary-General.

Sources: RFI, RFI.