Macky Sall - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Senegal’s fishermen head for Spain as fish stocks dwindle at home

FISHERMAN Khalifa Ndour says Senegalese President Macky Sall is responsible for the plunge in his country's fish stocks that forced him to risk his life to seek work as a farmhand in northeastern Spain. Back home in Senegal, his wife Mariatou Mbodj misses her husband. She can't find work as a fish processor, and she and Ndour's three children wait anxiously in Bargny, on the coast south of the capital Dakar, for news of his progress in getting legalised in Spain. Ndour, 42, is one of tens of thousands of Africans, many former fishermen, making a perilous journey to Spain…

Mar

2024

By RACHEL SAVAGE

Senegal’s election: What is at stake for investors?

BUSINESS

INTERNATIONAL investors will be closely monitoring the presidential election in Senegal, scheduled for March 24, after delays incited widespread protests. The country, usually one of coup-prone West Africa's most stable democracies, has been gripped by tension since early February, when President Macky Sall tried to postpone the vote that had been due to take place on Feb. 25 by 10 months, leading to warnings of democratic backsliding. WHAT ARE INVESTORS FOCUSED ON? Senegal has about $4.2 billion of outstanding international bonds, two issued in euros and three in U.S. dollars. For investors in those bonds, the current focus is on whether the presidential vote will be…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

2024 Senegal election crisis points to deeper issues with Macky Sall and his preferred successor

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE botched attempt by Senegalese president Macky Sall to postpone the presidential election has stirred unnecessary tension in an already strained electoral process. The move reflected deeper governance problems in the country. Sall’s decree, subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Council, was the latest in a range of government interventions that exceeded the scope of the executive authority. These have included the disqualification of key opposition candidates, the manipulation of judicial procedures, and the arbitrary detention of dissenting figures. Sall’s 12-year tenure has been marked by contradictions. His administration boosted investment in transport and urban infrastructure. Notably, he worked on the…

Mar

2024

By SOFIA CHRISTENSEN and BATE FELIX

Freed from jail, Senegal opposition presidential candidate draws hundreds to first event

NEWS

A day after his release from jail, Senegal opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye drew hundreds of supporters at his first public appearance as a presidential contender for the March 24 elections, promising to tackle corruption. Next to him, the popular firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko urged supporters to vote for his ally. "We have an election to win. We have lost too much time," Sonko, also released from prison on Thursday, said at a joint news briefing. Firebrand Sonko - who was seen as the key challenger to President Macky Sall's ruling party - threw his support behind Faye after being disqualified over…

Mar

2024

By BATE FELIX and NGOUDA DIONE

Thousands celebrate release of jailed Senegal opposition leaders

NEWS

SENEGALESE opposition firebrand Ousmane Sonko and the presidential candidate he is backing in the March 24 election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, were released from prison, state broadcaster RTS said on its website. Their release had been expected after parliament passed an amnesty law on March 6 as the authorities sought to ease tensions following their thwarted bid to postpone the vote by 10 months. RTS did not give further details, and it was not immediately clear where the pair were after their release. Thousands of supporters massed in Dakar, the capital, to celebrate the news, chanting Sonko's name on the gridlocked street where…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegal kicks off short election campaign after poll delays

NEWS

SENEGALESE presidential candidates launched their shortened campaigns, two days after a court confirmed the election would be held on March 24, ending weeks of uncertainty and kick-starting a competition that remains wide open. Tensions have gripped the country since early February, when a bid by President Macky Sall to postpone by 10 months a vote that had been due to take place on February 25 provoked widespread protests and warnings by critics of democratic backsliding. Senegal, a country of 18 million, is normally one of West Africa's most stable democracies. The worst of the crisis appears to be over after the Constitutional Council…

Mar

2024

By DIADIE BA and BATE FELIX

Senegal schedules presidential election for March 24

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall has scheduled a delayed presidential election for March 24, the government said after a top court ruled that a proposal to hold the vote after his mandate expires on April 2 was unconstitutional. The announcement caps a dramatic evening that saw Sall dissolve the government and replace Prime Minister Amadou Ba with Interior Minister Sidiki Kaba so that Ba, the ruling coalition's presidential candidate, can focus on his electoral campaign, the presidency said. Earlier the Constitutional Council ruled that a proposal from a national dialogue commission for the vote to be held on June 2 was…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Who are the main candidates in Senegal’s presidential election?

NEWS

SENEGAL heads to the polls on March 24 to choose a successor to President Macky Sall who is not seeking a third term. For the first time in the West African nation's history, the incumbent is not on the ballot. His hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who was relieved of his duties on Wednesday ahead of the campaigning, is among 19 candidates cleared by Senegal's constitutional council to run. To avoid a runoff, a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote. Campaigning is likely to start in the coming days. Following are the profiles of the main contenders: PRIME MINISTER…

Mar

2024

By NGOUDA DIONE and ALESSANDRA PRENTICE

Senegal election crisis shakes support for Macky Sall’s coalition

NEWS

WRITER Moustapha Gueye voted for Senegalese President Macky Sall in the last two elections. But disappointment in Sall's second term and the president's thwarted attempt to postpone the next vote have shaken Gueye's allegiance to the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition. Reclining on a sofa at his home in Dakar, Gueye said he was saddened that Sall's presidency had culminated in a bitter electoral tussle with the opposition and in unrest that has dented Senegal's reputation as one of West Africa's more stable nations. "These are domestic issues that Senegal should have grown out of," he said. Sall's shock decision to issue a decree delaying…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegalese president condemns violent attack against journalist

NEWS

SENEGAL'S President Macky Sall condemned a violent knife attack on a prominent female journalist and director of a private television station. Maimouna Ndour Faye, who presents a political programme for 7TV television channel, was attacked and stabbed several times near her home in the early hours of Friday by an unknown assailant, the channel said in a statement. Faye was hospitalised and her condition is stable, it said. The attack comes amid heightened political tension in the West African nation over the postponement of a presidential election that was scheduled for February 25. It was unclear if the attack was politically motivated,…