Senegal: opponents speak out against Macky Sall's UN candidacy

Senegal's former president Macky Sall is seeking one of the most coveted positions on the international scene: Secretary-General of the United Nations. But his opponents at home have started speaking out against his candidacy, accusing his government of repression.

Opponents of former Senegalese president Macky Sall, including those who say they are victims of repression by his administration, opposed his UN secretary-general candidacy Friday, accusing him of violence and economic crimes.

Sall, who served as president from 2012 to 2024, is accused of having repressed violent political demonstrations that resulted in dozens of deaths during his last years in office.

Senegal's current government additionally accuses Sall of having concealed the true extent of the country's substantial debt.

An IMF team has confirmed that officials made false statements regarding budget deficits and public debt for the period of 2019–2023.

On Monday, Burundi, which currently chairs the African Union (AU), nominated Sall as a candidate for the United Nations' top job.

"Bloodshed and economic crimes"

At a press conference Friday, Pape Abdoulaye Toure of the Families of Martyrs collective accused Sall of attempting to "take refuge at the UN" to escape prosecution, adding that he "does not deserve to be secretary-general".

Ruling party MP Guy Marius meanwhile said that "we cannot accept that the UN be a 'laundering' facility for crimes of bloodshed and economic crimes".

Numerous political groups and prominent figures have also come out in support of Sall's candidacy in recent days as a means of enhancing the diplomatic status of the west African nation.

However, Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang emphasised in the local press Thursday that Sall's UN candidacy was not submitted by Dakar, which "was not involved in this process".

The current government, in power since April 2024, announced in August that it had opened investigations into the violence during Sall's administration.

At least 65 people, mostly young, were killed between March 2021 and February 2024 during protests by the then opposition, according to a report released last year by a group of journalists and scientists.

The protests were repressed by Sall's government and additionally resulted in multiple injuries and detentions. Officials under the new administration, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, an arch-rival of Sall, place the death toll at more than 80.

An amnesty law was adopted in March 2024, during the final weeks of Sall's presidency covering acts of violence between 2021 and 2024.

However, Senegal's constitutional council in April struck down the legislation.