Ansoumana Dione presses Senegal on mental‑health care, backs Macky Sall for UN

Senegalese mental‑health activist Ansoumana Dione, president of the Association sénégalaise pour le suivi et l’assistance aux malades mentaux (ASSAMM), has intensified his advocacy on two fronts. On 21 June 2026 he sent a letter to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye warning that “le Sénégal traverse des moments extrêmement difficiles, en matière de prise en charge des personnes atteintes de troubles mentaux” and offering ASSAMM’s expertise to develop a “plan de sortie de crise” for the sector. He requested a meeting to discuss concrete reforms, citing the need for a national mental‑health priority.

Separately, Dione traveled to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to attend a ceremony on 16 July where former President Macky Sall will receive an honorary doctorate. Dione, also honored with a doctorate, said he would present a symbolic painting and pledge the support of over a billion mental‑health patients worldwide to Sall’s candidacy for United Nations Secretary‑General, emphasizing the potential impact of the role on global mental‑health policy.