DAKAR — Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has officially thrown his weight behind former President Macky Sall’s bid to become the next United Nations secretary-general, according to an announcement from the country’s foreign ministry on Monday. The move gives Sall a key endorsement from his home nation, despite a politically tense relationship between the two leaders.
Faye made the decision following a face-to-face meeting with Sall on Friday, the foreign ministry confirmed in its statement.
Sall led Senegal from 2012 to 2024 and is now among five candidates competing to take over from current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term is set to expire on December 31.
In his statement, Faye directed his government to “fully mobilize” behind Sall’s campaign, describing it as a candidacy that “is now Senegal’s candidacy in the service of Africa.”
The backing represents a meaningful political move from Faye, whose administration has repeatedly taken aim at Sall’s time in office. Sall’s effort to delay the 2024 presidential election sparked deadly protests and was ultimately overturned by the Constitutional Council.
Faye went on to win that election and took over from Sall in April 2024, but tensions between the two have persisted. Faye’s government has leveled accusations of financial mismanagement and political repression against Sall’s former administration — allegations that Sall has rejected.
Burundi, currently holding the African Union’s rotating presidency, had previously nominated Sall for the UN leadership role. Until Monday, however, Senegal had refrained from making any public endorsement of his candidacy.
