Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is set to return to Senegal for the first time since leaving office in 2024 for a brief but politically significant visit aimed at securing government backing for his candidacy as the next United Nations Secretary-General. Sall announced that he will hold talks with his successor, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, during a three-hour stopover in Dakar. The meeting will mark the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since the transfer of power following the 2024 presidential election. According to members of Sall’s political party, the former president is expected to arrive at Dakar’s Yoff airport at 3 p.m. and depart at 6 p.m., with his meeting with President Faye being his only official engagement.
The visit comes as Sall intensifies his campaign to succeed current UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second and final term ends on December 31, 2026. The successful candidate will assume office in January 2027 for a five-year term, with the possibility of one renewal. Sall’s primary objective is to secure Senegal’s formal endorsement, which has so far been withheld. Earlier this year, he failed to obtain the African Union’s backing after 20 member states, including Senegal, declined to support his candidacy. Senegal informed the African Union Commission that it had neither initiated nor endorsed Sall’s bid. Reports indicate that Sall had formally requested his country’s support in February but did not receive an official response.
The meeting also carries considerable political symbolism given the strained relationship between Sall and the current administration. Tensions have persisted over allegations of hidden public debt and the government’s criticism of the crackdown on members of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) during Sall’s presidency. Meanwhile, the Collective of Victims of Macky Sall’s Regime has argued that his international ambitions should not overshadow calls for accountability over alleged human rights abuses, arrests and violence that occurred during his time in office. Political analysts say the meeting could help reset relations between the former and current administrations while determining whether Senegal will ultimately back Sall’s campaign to lead the United Nations.
