Opposition to Sall’s bid for UN chief position
Publish date: 09 March 2026
Issue Number: 1167
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: International
Former Senegal President Macky Sall's nomination for the prestigious UN chief position has come under fire over his repressive rule during his term of office, with claims also now emerging that Burundi had exaggerated the African Union's (AU) role in supporting the bid, notes Legalbrief. Sall is seeking one of the most coveted positions on the international scene: Secretary-General of the UN. But his opponents at home have started speaking out against his candidacy, accusing his government of repression, reports africanews. Opponents of Sall, including those who say they are victims of repression by his administration, opposed his UN secretary-general candidacy on 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. Last Monday, Burundi, which chairs the African Union (AU), nominated Sall as a candidate for the UN’s top job.
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 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, according to africanews. 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.
According to a Facebook post by Gambian online media house Kerr Fatou, the publication Confidentiel Afrique claimed in an article written by Chérif Ismael Aidara that Sall’s nomination was announced as being supported by the AU. ‘But our investigations reveal a different reality: it was Burundi that submitted the nomination, using its status as the current AU chairperson to create the illusion of continental support. Senegal, for its part, remained aloof, revealing a profound strategic deficit in its diplomacy and networking on the international stage. An African diplomat based in Addis Ababa, speaking on condition of anonymity to Confidentiel Afrique, said: 'Burundi played on ambiguity. As chairperson of the African Union, Évariste Ndayishimiye presented the candidacy as if it came from all of Africa. But in reality, no vote or consensus was reached. The issue of any potential fraud was not discussed calmly by the heads of state during a formal session. This strategy aimed to: project Macky Sall as the sole African candidate, reinforcing the image of a united continent; create an international sensation by giving the impression that the AU had made its decision; and position Burundi as an influential diplomatic player capable of influencing major global manoeuvres. President Évariste Ndayishimiye completed the entire charade orchestrated by former President Macky Sall, who ultimately succeeded in finding himself in the waiting room for candidates for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations. The paradox is striking: Senegal did not support its former President.'
A senior Senegalese official close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains: 'Supporting Macky Sall would have been politically explosive. His record is contested, his human rights issues are being discussed in Geneva, and some are even talking about the ICC (International Criminal Court). The current government chose neutrality to avoid being drawn into a risky battle, reports Kerr Fatou. But all this silence on a candidacy that de facto engages the legitimacy and leadership of Senegal on the roof of the Manhattan Tower? Three factors explain this withdrawal: internal crises and the memory of the martyrs. Support would have been perceived as an affront to those who denounced his regime. There is also the lack of diplomatic foresight. Minister Cheikh Niang's statement clearly illustrates a wait-and-see, even failing, diplomacy, incapable of participating in the major manoeuvres.' Finally, confidential sources suggest a calculated neutrality, asserting that 'the regime prefers to observe from afar, letting Macky Sall play his own hand'. This theory clearly cannot succeed and lacks diplomatic bite. This affair reveals two major flaws. First, Burundi used its AU presidency to lend African weight to an initiative that lacks consensus. Second, Senegal missed an opportunity to play a significant role in a major diplomatic battle, revealing a lack of foresight and strategy. If Macky Sall were to be elected, it would be a personal victory, but also a setback for Senegalese diplomacy, which would have missed the opportunity to control the narrative and defend its own interests.
A new secretary-general of the UN will be appointed on 1 January 2027 to succeed Antonio Guterres, with three current nominations on the table – Sall, plus former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Argentine Rafael Grossi. RFI reports that the selection process was launched last November, with each candidate to be formally nominated by a state or group of states, not necessarily by their country of origin. The Security Council must begin the selection process by the end of July. UN General Assembly spokeswoman La Neice Collins confirmed Burundi's nomination of Sall. Burundi currently chairs the African Union (AU), and a source close to Sall told AFP that during Sall's time as president of the AU, from February 2022 to February 2023, his priority ‘was to carry Africa's voice within international bodies’. The current composition of the council could be favourable to Sall, as three African members are sitting on it this year – the DRC, Liberia and Somalia. While the entire Security Council will elect the next secretary-general, its five permanent members – France, the UK, China, the US and Russia – will ultimately be the deciders, as they have power of veto. Sall led the West African nation from 2012 to 2024.
The current government accuses him of covering up unfavourable economic data and concealing the true extent of the country's fiscal problems. The RFI report states that Senegal charged four former government Ministers from Sall's Cabinet with corruption and embezzlement related to the management of Covid-19 funds – under a wider anti-corruption campaign by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. According to TRT Afrika, if elected, Sall will be the third African to be the UN’s chief after Boutros Boutros-Ghali from Egypt, who served from 1992 to 1996, and Kofi Annan from Ghana, who held the role from 1997 to 2006. However, there are growing campaigns for the UN to have its first-ever female Secretary-General.
