Macky Sall withdraws candidacy for UN top post

Former Senegalese President Macky Sall has withdrawn his candidacy for the position of UN Secretary-General following opposition to his nomination and controversy over the African Union’s endorsement process, reports Premium Times Nigeria. In a post on X on Saturday, Sall said his decision followed an informal vote held on 16 October and consultations with Burundi’s President, Évariste Ndayishimiye, the current chairperson of the AU, and Senegalese President Bassirou Faye, the current chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States. Sall’s candidacy had faced opposition over the procedure used to secure continental backing, with several countries, including Nigeria, questioning the process and the circumstances surrounding his nomination. Sall was first nominated by Burundi, whose Ndayishimiye, assumed the rotating AU chairmanship on 14 February. The move raised questions about whether the nomination represented a national initiative or a collective African endorsement. AU procedures require candidacies to be submitted and reviewed by the Committee of Permanent Representatives and the Ministerial Committee before being presented to the Executive Council for a decision by consensus or a two-thirds majority.

However, Sall’s name was absent from the list of African candidacies presented to the Executive Council at the February AU summit and was not formally discussed by heads of state, according to a report by Jeune Afrique. Burundi subsequently circulated a draft decision to UN and AU member states in an apparent attempt to secure formal continental endorsement for Sall. The draft decision set a 24-hour deadline for objections and required opposition from at least one-third of eligible member states to block the proposed endorsement, notes Premium Times Nigeria. Eligibility was restricted to countries that had met their AU financial obligations and were not under suspension. Twenty AU member states broke the silence, including Algeria, South Africa, Liberia, Nigeria and Rwanda, according to the AU. Fourteen formally objected, while six, including Egypt, requested an extension of the deadline. Senegal also distanced itself from the process, saying it had not been associated with Burundi’s initiative. Egypt and Liberia later withdrew their positions, but the withdrawals did not change the outcome of the process. The objections centred largely on procedural concerns. Several countries argued that the silence procedure was inappropriate for a substantive decision because it offered little room for discussion and imposed an unreasonably short deadline.

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Meanwhile, Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia were among the 15 countries elected to the UN General Assembly Human Rights Council, reports Peoples Gazette Nigeria. Nigeria’s election to the council allows the country to help shape global human rights policies, strengthen its diplomatic standing, and participate directly in international decision-making. The opportunity also spotlights the country’s domestic human rights record, highlighting the need for the government to address internal challenges, civil liberties concerns, and accountability to maintain credibility on the world stage. Ahead of the vote when addressing the effects of the lack of competition on the council’s initiatives to improve human rights conditions worldwide, Louis Charbonneau, UN Director at Human Rights Watch, stated that UN member states should insist on competitive slates so they can reject candidates with poor human rights records, according to the Jurist. A UN press release stated that Burundi has not improved its abusive human rights conditions and faces serious ongoing human rights concerns. 'Despite some positive government statements, HRW has noted that Burundi has not carried out meaningful reform to address longstanding concerns related to governance, justice, or accountability.'

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Full report in Peoples Gazette Nigeria