Former Nigerian president in Senegal for talks

  1. Posted on Wednesday 22 February 2012 - 10:24
    Jammeh
    Image of Jammeh
    Buya Jammeh, AfricaNews reporter in Dakar, Senegal
    Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, is due to arrive in Senegal as a special representative of the Economic Community of West African States - ECOWAS to broker a peace deal between the opposition and president Abdoulaye Wade's ruling the Parti Democratique Senegalaise.
    olusegun obasanjo nigeria_delta_campaign
    According to a press release, ECOWAS Heads of State and Government endorsed the dispatch of a Joint African Union-ECOWAS High-Level Mission to be led by former Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo to engage all political stakeholders in Senegal, with a view to promoting dialogue and ensuring peaceful, fair and transparent elections in that country.

    Presidential elections are scheduled for 26th February 2012 in Senegal, where recent protests by opposition parties over presidential term dispute resulted in loss of lives and destruction of property.

    As part of the determination to deepen democratic culture and good governance in the region, the summit directed the ECOWAS Commission to continue to assist Member States in their electoral processes to ensure the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.

    President Wade's controversial third term bid threatens to plunge the country into chaos as confrontation continues to prevail between his regime and Senegalese opposition.

    Since the validation of his candidacy by the Constitutional Council, M23 coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups have been continuously involved into street protests leaving many dead.


    Lawyer El Hadji Amadou Sall, Wade's campaign spokesman, Wade haven’t seen the need for ECOWAS to mediate; adding that mediation is only possible after the Presidential election.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive